Where I Belong
by Magnus Prime
Summary: Squall has been having difficulties in his relationship with Rinoa. So has Selphie with Irvine. To give everyone breathing room, Squall accompanies Selphie on a trip to Trabia, unintentionally starting a relationship no one would have expected. (Note: The name for the library girl ('Sally Regal') was originally created by fanwork author 'Mintbaby' and is used here with permission.)
1. Presenting Problems

**Where I Belong**  
_by Magnus Prime_

**Chapter One: Presenting Problems**

The commander of the Unified Garden Network stalked into his office, the auto-doors sliding shut and locking behind him as he made his way across the room to his desk. He fell into the plush armchair and pinched the bridge of his nose, his gloveless index finger coming to rest on the diagonal scar that he received what seemed like a lifetime ago. "You just have to push, don't you?" Squall complained to the emptiness of his office. After massaging his nose for several seconds longer he dropped his hand to the desk and took in the sight of the stacks of paperwork demanding his attention. Requests for transfers, approvals, budgets… "At least it's a distraction," he sighed as he grabbed up a random sheet and started working on it.

He'd barely made it through a half-dozen documents before the door to his office chirped, announcing the arrival of one or more visitors. He reached to the lower-right corner of his desk and tapped a button. "Who is it, please?"

"_Hey, Squall; it's Zell."_

The commander smiled to himself as he pressed another button, opening the door to allow the Head of Combat Training to enter the room. Fortunately the hot-headed martial artist had calmed considerably in the months following Ultimecia's demise, due in part to having seen so much war and bloodshed, but likely also due to his new relationship with the girl from the library, Sally Regal. _Or maybe __I'm__ the one who's changed_ Squall thought to himself as Zell approached his desk, his typical grin firmly in place. "Hey, Z-man; what's up?"

"Dude, you look stressed," Zell greeted as he plopped into one of the padded armchairs in front of the commander's desk and crossed his legs, his right ankle resting on his left knee. "Another fight with Rinoa?"

"Sort of," Squall grunted.

"You two keep this up and you'll be old and gray by the time you're thirty," Zell said, though his fading grin took much of the humor out of his statement. "What happened?"

"The usual," Squall sighed as he ran his fingers roughly through his perpetually unruly brown hair. "One of us says something that bugs the other, then she insists that we talk about it before I've even had the chance to figure out my side of things."

"Damn," Zell murmured while slowly shaking his head. "You'd think she'd understand that about you by now."

Squall leaned back in his chair to rub his face roughly with both hands. "She's a neat girl, but I swear it's like talking to a child when she's like that."

"I hear ya," Zell grunted sympathetically. At Squall's look of alarm he quickly sat up straight, his hands held out defensively. "It's not like Sally's like that! No way! We're cool, really!"

"That's a relief," Squall said, relaxing into his seat…somewhat. "I wouldn't wish my situation on my worst enemy."

"Or Seifer," Zell quipped, his grin making a return along with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "How's he doin', anyway?"

The commander took a moment to think about his old rival's situation; after things had settled down after the Second Sorceress War Cid had allowed Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin to reenter Garden, under close supervision. "Fine, as far as I can tell. He's been keeping his psych appointments with Dr. Kadowaki and Dr. Fell, so…" Squall finished his thought with a shrug of the shoulders. "We'll see what happens."

"I'm surprised he's still sucking air after all the people he killed…or was responsible for killing," Zell humphed. "I mean, I don't want the guy dead, but…"

"I hear you," Squall sympathized. "But he was basically mind-controlled by Ultimecia. That's why the HM argued for leniency; the only one who could mind-control him now would be Rinoa…"

"…who couldn't do something heinous like that," Zell said, finishing his boss' thought. "Does he want to be a SeeD anymore?"

Squall rose from his seat to head over to a large window to look out, and Zell got up to join him. "Right now that choice is out of his hands; he was responsible for the deaths of a lot of SeeDs, so for the time being we're just going to wait and see how his therapy and follow-up eval go."

"I guess everybody deserves a second chance," Zell murmured.

Squall sighed as he turned to face his friend. "Ultimecia used Matron's knowledge about us to turn Seifer against everyone. She knew about his hopes and dreams and used those to mess him up. We can't blame him for that, but we can hold him responsible for how he conducts himself from now on."

"Fair enough," Zell grunted as he rubbed at his tattoo. "For what it's worth, I hope he gets better." He noticed Squall's expression cloud over again and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Rinoa?"

Squall blinked, shaking his head a couple of times to rejoin his friend. "Huh? Oh, yeah."

"Maybe you should talk to one of the other girls about it?" Zell suggested. "Quistis knows you pretty well, right?"

"She wishes," Squall retorted with a smirk. "Seriously, though, I think you're right; she knows me better than I'd ever admit. But I think I know myself pretty well now. What I'd really like help with is understanding Rinoa's thinking; why she says what she says, does what she does…stuff like that."

Zell rubbed at his tattoo again as he lost himself in thought. "I could talk to Sally; maybe she could help you out."

"Except she doesn't know Rinoa," Squall pointed out, then sighed. "I guess I could talk to Selphie…"

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Zell exclaimed excitedly. "The three of us teamed up a lot during the war, right? And she's pretty high-energy like Rinoa…"

"And you," Squall jabbed.

"….and while Qui is a girl, she's more... How do you say it…? Reserved?" The martial artist took a moment to think about it further. "Yeah. She'd be too reserved to help you understand someone like Rinoa."

"That makes sense," Squall conceded. "Fine; next chance I get I'll ask her about Rinoa. I'm not comfortable talking about it, but at least it'd be less uncomfortable that what we've been going through."

Zell opened his mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by the door chime again. "Mind if I hang while you take this?"

"Depends," the commander replied as he headed back to his desk to press the intercom button. "Who is it, please?"

"_Hey, Squall! It's me, Selphie!"_

Squall exchanged a smirk with his old traveling companion, who mouthed the words _speak of the devil_ as he reclaimed his seat. "Come on in," he said as he pressed the button to open the door, revealing the Head of Intelligence Training in full SeeD uniform. "Have a seat."

"Yo, Sylph!" Zell greeted, waving over his shoulder. "How's the festival planning going?"

"Really well!" she said as she plopped into the seat next to Zell, the ends of her impossibly-styled hair bouncing as she landed. "I've had a lot of recruits volunteer to help with set-up, and I've been surprised at how many know how to play instruments!"

"I thought I heard something about a band," Squall remarked as he let a rare smile show.

"Three, actually!" Selphie chirped as she shifted her attention to her boss. "And all of them are working on a few songs each for the festival!"

"That's awesome, Seph!" Zell cheered. "Man, it's been a long time since I blew the sax; maybe I should give it another go."

Selphie clapped excitedly. "Yeah! And I could play the bass again, and Irvine…could…" Her face fell as she trailed off.

Experiencing a flash of intuition Squall asked, "Are you here about Irvine, Selphie?"

"Y-Yeah," she replied, still deflating. "He won't stop harassing my students. I've asked him to stop, but…"

"Yeah, that's what I was comin' to talk to you about, too," Zell muttered to Squall, then turned to the dejected girl next to him. "I thought you two were going out. I thought you were pretty tight."

"Apparently it doesn't matter to Irvine Kinneas," Selphie snapped, sounding uncharacteristically bitter. "We go to breakfast together, then the next thing I know he's hitting on Julie. Or Tina. Or-"

"I get the idea," Squall said, raising a hand to hopefully stop the list. "I'll talk to him, don't worry."

"Thanks," she said as she pulled out a facial tissue. "It's just hard, though; am I not good enough for him or something?"

"I don't think it's you, Sylph," Zell said quietly. "You know how he is; he's been flirting with girls for so long that maybe he doesn't know how to stop?"

"That could be," she sniffled before dabbing at her delicate nose. "It…still hurts, though."

"That really sucks." Zell sighed heavily, then gave Squall an apologetic look. "Maybe we should help her with her stuff before asking her about yours."

"I think that's a good idea," Squall agreed.

"What?" The two men looked to their female friend, whose gaze alternated between them. "Is something wrong?"

"Squall's tired of fighting with his woman," Zell announced before Squall could open his mouth, "and we were just thinking that maybe you could help him understand her better since…well…" He suddenly turned sheepish as he realized what he was about to say. "…you're both pretty, uh…"

"Energetic," Squall said, grateful that Zell had taken the lead but still annoyed that he had taken the lead. "Quistis is too low-key – not that I think that's bad – but you and Rinoa are both high-energy so I was hoping that you could give me some insight on how to talk with her."

"I see…" Selphie replied as she absently dabbed at her eyes. "Well…what happens right before you two fight?" She then listened with rapt attention as Squall told her what he had told Zell.

"It's like she doesn't understand that I'm not like her," Squall finished. "I want to work things out with her, but I guess I just take longer than she thinks I should."

"You two have always been like that," she giggled. "It's almost a comedy routine, but…I can see how it could cause problems long-term." She nibbled on her lower lip as she thought. "Maybe you need some time away from each other. She's pretty busy with her Sorceress stuff, right?"

Squall said nothing, but crossed his arms as he nodded.

"And you've got 'commander' stuff going on all the time, so you're probably both stressed by the time you see each other…"

"Hey, that's right; Squall, when's the last time you took a vacation?" Zell asked.

"Vacation?" Squall's eyes lost focus, his arms uncrossing on their own as he tried to remember…

"I guess that answers my question," quipped the martial artist. "Dude, you seriously need to get away for a while. Rinoa can't stop being a sorceress, but you can stop being a commander for a while, am I right?

"I know!" Selphie exclaimed, suddenly perking up. "Why don't you come with me to Trabia! We can take the Ragnarok, and-"

"They're still rebuilding, though, aren't they?" Squall unintentionally interrupted. "Wouldn't I just be in the way?"

"No way, dude!" Zell exclaimed, his enthusiasm starting to rise. "See, think of it like this; even if you don't lift a finger, just your very presence will be enough to encourage everyone. Tell me I'm right, Sylph."

"Absolutely!" Selphie squealed. "Oh, come on, Squall; you and Rinoa can get some breathing room and I can get away from Irvine for a while. We can cool off while we help our fellow SeeDs!"

Squall crossed his arms again and sighed; her idea had merit, but how could he leave Balamb Garden? His eyes drifted to his mountain of paperwork.

"Qui and I can work on that for you," Zell offered. "And if you're okay with it, Meg could help, too."

Squall arched an eyebrow. "'Meg'?"

"Short for 'MegaPhoenix'!" Zell said, laughing. "You remember her giving that to us, right? Anyway, why don'cha talk to the big HM and see what he has to say, huh?"

Squall looked between the eager expressions of two of his closest friends. "Well… All right; I'll talk to the headmaster and see what he says."

Knowing Cid as Squall did, though, he had a feeling he'd be going to Trabia…soon.


	2. Arrivals and Departures

**Chapter Two: Departures and Arrivals**

"So you're really going?" Rinoa asked for the umpteenth time as she watched Squall finish packing his lone suitcase. "Are…Are you mad at me?"

He sighed heavily as he thought of the best way to phrase his answer. "I'm not mad at you," he finally replied with a shake of his head. "It's just… Well, you've seen how much we've been fighting lately."

"Yeah…"

He worked on closing the suitcase, then noticed a shirt that had decided to poke out the side so he tried pushing it back into the case. "I'm just gonna help Selphie out for a bit, focus on something else for a while so I can clear my head," he told her as the suitcase's locks finally clicked; then, he turned to face his beloved. "So we can clear our heads."

"But…" Rinoa gestured at him helplessly, at a loss for words.

He stepped forward and laid his hands on her shoulders. "It's gonna be okay; you can focus on sorceress stuff for the next week, and you won't have to worry about my dumb ass not understanding you." He leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on her cheek before pulling back to look her in the eyes. "With the way things have been going, maybe I'll be able to keep up with you when I get back."

"M-Maybe," she giggled, choking on some tears; it was true that Squall had grown and matured immensely in a relatively short amount of time, but seeing him packing to leave was still hard for her to watch. "I'm just afraid…"

"Hey…" He gave her shoulders several squeezes; he could feel her tension even through the light pressure. "No matter what happens, I'll always be your knight; okay?"

She couldn't speak, but a slight nod along with the resting of her hands on his told him that she understood.

* * *

"Hey, Squall! Over here!"

Squall chuckled, shaking his head as he jogged over to Selphie, who stood near the loading ramp to the spaceship. "Yes, Selphie, I figured you'd be here; the Ragnarok's kinda hard to miss, you know?"

She simply giggled as she turned to head up the ramp into the belly of the giant vessel; Squall followed, impressed at how she could be so cheerful in light of her situation with Irvine. "Maybe it's a girl thing," he murmured to himself as he entered the ship, his hand absently reaching out to hit the button that closed the cargo bay door. He then followed her to the elevator, which took them to the bridge.

"DUDE!"

Squall nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden greeting, but Selphie seemed unfazed. "'Morning, Zell. Thanks for being willing to fly us there."

"No prob!" he replied cheerfully from the pilot's seat, grinning as he gave his passengers a thumbs-up. "Nice to be behind the wheel again!"

"G-Good morning Commander Leonhart, Chief Tilmitt," greeted a quiet voice from a young woman who had just stood from the copilot's seat to salute them.

"Candidate Regal," Squall greeted as he and Selphie returned the salute. "Congratulations on passing the Fire Cave exam."

"Th-Thank you, sir," she managed to squeak as her head tried to burrow into her shoulders.

"Oh my goodness, relax!" Selphie gushed as she strode up to the girl to give her a hug. "We're all human here; even Squall!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am," the librarian squeaked again as she tried to recover from the shock of being grabbed so suddenly.

"Hey Sylph, can you back off a little?" Zell asked. "She's really shy, so…" he trailed off with a shrug and an apologetic grin.

"Then how did she end up with a dynamo like you?" Selphie teased as she released her junior.

"Anyway, have you been assigned a Field Exam yet?" Squall asked as Zell started up the Ragnarok's engines. "I haven't seen anything about it cross my desk yet."

"N-No, sir," she replied timidly.

"The world's been pretty peaceful lately," Selphie remarked. "I haven't had any requests for support or anything like that since taking charge of Intelligence."

"Hm." Squall pushed his lips to one side as he regarded the furiously-blushing candidate. "Well, we need to come up with something; it's not right to leave our candidates hanging like this."

"We were pretty lucky that Galbadia invaded Dollet when it did," Selphie said, turning to her boss.

"The people of Dollet weren't so lucky, though," Squall countered.

"Ouch, good point," Selphie agreed, becoming more subdued. She quickly brightened, though. "Well, at least they had us to drive off the G-Forces!"

"I suppose," Squall acknowledged with a chuckle.

"Hey, everyone sit down," their blonde-haired pilot ordered as he flipped a few more switches. "We're about to take off."

"Roger dodger!" Selphie replied, then plopped into the seat behind Zell as Squall took a seat behind Sally. Being a lover of windows, Selphie immediately turned her gaze outside, 'ooo'ing and 'ahhh'ing as Balamb Garden got smaller and smaller in the windows. "It's hard to believe how big the place is when you see it from this high!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah," Squall agreed as he looked out of the window on his side; they had reached flying altitude and had started moving forward. "It's pretty impressive. I'll bet we wouldn't have been able to see it at all from Esthar's space station."

"Gosh, you're probably right!" Selphie said as she turned wide eyes on her traveling companion. "I wish I'd thought to look down while we were up there!"

"Dude, the 'Rok's a spaceship," Zell reminded them. "We could just talk to Prez Loire; I'm sure he'd let us take this baby up!"

"That would be wonderful, Zell," Sally said timidly as she reached across to pat her boyfriend's leg, only to find him just out of reach; he quickly shifted his posture to accommodate her.

"That reminds me," Zell said, glancing over his shoulder as he directed his words to Squall, "why did the prez let us keep his wings, anyway?"

Squall shrugged a shoulder. "Honestly, I don't know. He's never said anything about giving it back."

"Perhaps it's his contribution to the Gardens," Sally suggested. "It did help you save the world, didn't it?"

"It did," Squall confirmed, returning his gaze to the sky on the other side of the window. "I suppose it could be a gift to Garden."

"Or maybe from father to son," Selphie said with a sly smile.

Squall simply ignored her.

"Is he really your father, sir?" Sally asked, though her voice could barely be heard.

The commander's conscience wouldn't allow him to ignore the timid library girl, however. "I-"

"Dude, Meg; just look at him!" Zell interrupted. "Same chin, same intense eyes; even his smile looks like the prez's…at least when Commander Serious here'll risk breaking his face with one."

"Zell!" Selphie scolded, though she couldn't help but giggle. "That's mean!"

"That why you're laughin' back there?" the martial artist retorted as he grinned over at his copilot.

"Ooohhh, you're impossible," Selphie huffed before looking over at her fellow passenger as he said something to Zell. She wasn't tuned in to what he was saying, though; instead, she took the opportunity to study her former traveling companion-turned-commander. She smiled slightly to herself as she noticed the resemblance; Squall's jawline, his intense eyes, the way his hair would try to cover one side of his face. "Yeah," she murmured, "he looks a lot like Sir Lagu-" Her eyes widened and she suddenly gasped, her hand flying to her chest in response to a sudden twinge. "Ow…"

"Chief? Are you okay?"

"Huh?" she looked up from her distress to find Sally half-turned in her seat, studying the normally chipper brunette with a concerned expression. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Squall watching the exchange. "Oh… I'm fine," she giggled awkwardly, thankful that the discomfort was starting to fade. "Sorry to worry you."

"I'll ease up on the gas," Zell called. "I might've punched it too hard on takeoff."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Selphie replied.

The quartet was mostly silent for the rest of the trip, with Squall and Selphie looking out their respective windows as Zell and Sally talked quietly.

"Coming up on Trabia," Zell announced. "Want me to do a flyby before we land?"

"That's not a bad idea," Squall replied, then looked over to Selphie. "Would you be interested?"

She gave it a moment's consideration before deciding. "Let's do it. I'd like to see how the rebuilding's been going; maybe I'll see some things that they've missed."

"Cool. Everybody buckle up," Zell ordered. "I'm takin' us in looowww and slooow."

"Zell…" Sally giggled. "You're so funny."

Zell returned the library girl's smile, his ears pinking as he adjusted the massive ship's speed and altitude; he wanted the ship low enough so Selphie could evaluate Trabia Garden's reconstruction progress, but not so low that the ship's hovering thrusters would blow around anyone beneath them, or further damage the partially-reconstructed Garden.

"They've made considerable progress," Squall noted, clearly impressed.

"You can't keep a good Trabian down!" Selphie chirped as she surveyed the 'regrowing' Garden. "I've been able to message Jexa a few times, and she's told me that they've been working hard, but…"

"Who's Jexa?" Sally asked with her usual timidity.

"My best friend from Trabia Garden!" Selphie exclaimed cheerfully; then her expression turned more somber. "Well, my only friend from Trabia now."

"I'm so sorry, chief," Sally said with compassion.

"It's okay," Selphie said, her trademark smile making a return. "I feel bad for their families more, anyway; I lost friends, but they lost family."

"I imagine it still hurts, though," the library girl said.

"I'm fine," Selphie replied, waving a hand at the other girl. "At least I know they don't have to worry about fighting anymore, right?"

"R-Right," Sally stuttered as Squall examined Selphie's expression with a critical eye.

"We ready to land, Sylph?" Zell asked, interrupting the conversation. "Gotta get back to BG for a date with my woman."

"Z-Zell!" Sally cried, swatting at her boyfriend as he cackled.

Selphie looked over at her perpetually-serious friend. "Are you ready, Squall?"

"Ready when you are," he returned with a slight, lopsided grin.

Zell carefully maneuvered the Ragnarok to just outside Trabia Garden's main gate and brought it down for a smooth, jostle-free landing. "Now debarking for Trabia Garden," He announced, trying to sound official. "Please bring your seats to the fully upright position."

"Zell," Sally giggled, "you were supposed to announce that before our descent."

"Oh. Right," he replied with a snap of his fingers. "Knew I got something out of order."

Squall couldn't help but chuckle as he collected his lone suitcase and looked to the other passenger. "Need any help carrying anything?"

Even with as strong as she was, Selphie struggled under the weight of several bags and a couple of boxes. "Please."

"Here, I got that," Zell said as he took one of the boxes and a bag by the handles. "Keep an eye on the wheel, would you Meg? I'll be back."

"You got it, big boy," she replied, and something about her tone of voice told everyone that she really liked watching her man use his considerable strength.

The martial artist cackled again as he gave Squall a wink. "Lead the way, commander."

Squall chuckled, shaking his head as he stepped onto the elevator with his suitcase and a couple of Selphie's bags.

They descended the cargo hold ramp and headed to the main gate; fortunately the staff, faculty, and students of Trabia Garden had prioritized the functionality of the main gate, though it could only open just enough to let foot traffic pass.

"Where do you want this?" Zell asked as he waved a Port-A-Tent, a self-deploying tent designed in various sizes, ranging from single-occupancy all the way up to twenty; Squall and Selphie didn't want to impose on the garden's inhabitants so Zell had grabbed a two-man unit as they left the ship.

"Just lean it against the wall next to the gate, thanks," Squall said, waving a bag-laden hand to the left of the gate. "We'll set it up later."

Zell did so before jogging up to catch up with the commander. "Hey, should I grab a few more for them?" he asked, waving toward a group of workers. "They might not have enough places to sleep."

"You can ask them," Squall suggested with a shrug, "but I doubt they'll accept."

"Heh, you're probably right," Zell chuckled.

"Yup, he is!" Selphie confirmed with a playful smile.

"Okay, I'll check in with their QM and then check in with you two before taking off. Cool?"

"Cool," Squall replied; he occasionally enjoyed imitating his more exuberant friend. After leaving Selphie to watch their things he headed over toward a group of students who were working on a wall. The moment they saw him they dropped everything to salute him. "As you were," he said to them as he answered their salute.

"Yes, SIR!" they replied as one.

"Where's Headmaster Winn?" he asked, singling out a dark-haired man in a Seed uniform.

"He's in the-" the young man started, and Squall realized that he must have been answering as though the school was still intact. "Right this way, sir," he amended, gesturing toward the center of the war-torn structure.

As Squall followed him further into the building he saw that a lot of repairs had been made; walls built up and doors had been installed, though they were manually-operated rather than the auto-doors to which Squall had become too accustomed.

Eventually the SeeD stopped in front of an auto-door, much to Squall's surprise. "Right through here, sir," he said, snapping to another salute.

"Temporary general order," Squall declared, then waited until the soldier had his full attention. "Neither I nor Chief of intelligence Tilmitt are to be saluted by anyone on reconstruction duty. For everyone else, standard protocol applies. Understood, Mr.…?" Squall trailed off, his face heating up as he realized that he hadn't bothered to learn the young man's name.

"Barton, sir; James Barton."

"Understood, Mr. Barton?"

"Yes, sir. I'll be sure to let everyone know, sir," Barton replied, saluting again. At the commander's look of annoyance he quickly said, "I'm not on reconstruction duty at present, sir."

Squall opened his mouth, only to close it again with a chuckle. "Fair enough, Mr. Barton; dismissed." He then briefly watched with an amused smile as SeeD Barton hurried back to work before turning to pass through the auto-door.


	3. Settling In

**Chapter Three: Settling In**

"Commander Leonhart!" Headmaster Winn greeted as he hurried from behind his simple wooden desk. He appeared to be in his mid to late forties, with a physique that suggested that he had been active in his younger years but had lately spent a little too much time in the cafeteria. "Welcome to Trabia Garden! I regret that we couldn't give you a proper welcome."

"I understand, believe me," Squall said with his best sympathetic tone as he shook the older man's slightly-sweaty hand.

"Ah. Yes, I suppose you would," Winn said as he regarded the young Garden commander. "Well, what brings you to our humble Garden today?"

"Chief of Intelligence Tilmitt and I will be staying here for a few days," Squall explained. "We'll be assessing your progress as well as helping with rebuilding."

"Is everything okay, Commander?" Winn asked, concern slightly deepening the wrinkles on his forehead. "Have we given you reason to be dissatisfied with our efforts?"

"Not at all," Squall said, paling as he realized how he might have sounded. "Chief Tilmitt and I just…" He struggled for the words, not wanting to divulge the more personal reasons for their visit.

Winn came to the rescue, though. "Ah, I believe I understand; Chief Tilmitt came from this Garden, so of course she'd want to participate in its rebuilding."

"Of course," Squall echoed evasively; he hated lying, but what the man was saying wasn't too far from the truth, so he could play along in somewhat good conscience.

"And you must be here to help supervise?"

"I'm actually here to lend a hand if that's okay," Squall replied. "If I can also get an idea of what you need, I'll submit a request to Xu for supplies."

"That would be wonderful, thank you," the older man gushed with a clap of his hands. "Now, if you'll follow me, I'll show you where our greatest concentration of work is happening."

"That sounds great, HM, but I'd like to know where Selphie and I can set up our tent; we don't want to end up in the way, and she's been waiting outside with our stuff."

"Oh, of course!" Winn exclaimed as they headed out of his office. "May I assume that your belongings are near the main gate?"

"That's right."

They made their way out of the building and over to where Selphie waited, sitting on one of the boxes as she watched the students work. "Instructor Winn!" she squealed as she hopped to her feet to hug her old teacher. "Oh my gosh, it's been so long!"

"Yes, it has, my dear," he chuckled as he embraced the excited teenager. "But it's 'Headmaster Winn' now."

"Really?" Her eyes widened and her smile broadened even more. "Oh, wow!"

As the two reminisced, Squall took the opportunity to study his friend. She seemed chipper as usual, but something also seemed...wrong…with her smile. _It seems forced_ he thought to himself, though he couldn't figure out what gave him that impression.

* * *

Eventually, Selphie finished her conversation with her old teacher, and he was heading back to his office just as Zell trotted up with a sheepish grin. "It's like you said, Squall; they said 'thank you, but no thank you'."

Squall chuckled lightly. "Did they ask for any supplies? I'm planning on getting a list together to take back when Selphie and I are done here."

"Just for some tools and some wall paneling," the martial artist replied as he rubbed at his tattoo. "Man, I wish we could-"

CRREEEEEAAAK

Both men froze, hoping that they weren't hearing what they thought they were hearing.

"It's coming down! RUN!" someone shouted, drawing the attention of everyone around. Squall and Zell turned as one to see a section of the second-story flooring starting to collapse. As expected, they heard many of the girls start screaming.

Zell blurted out an expletive as he sprinted behind Squall over to a group of terrified students who were trapped behind some rubble that had fallen from the second floor, which was rapidly closing in on them.

"Commander!" one of the trapped students yelled. "Get back! It's not safe!"

Without a thought, Squall hopped up onto a partly-constructed wall below the descending floor. Everyone cried out, covering their eyes as he reached up to the collapsing floor…

THUNK

Metal groaned for several seconds before someone found the courage to uncover her eyes. "Ohmygosh, look!"

Squall stood on the short wall, his lean frame trembling as he held up the impossibly heavy floor section. "Zell, get them out of there," he ground out through gritted teeth.

"MOVE YOUR ASSES! MOVE-YOUR-ASSES!" Zell yelled at the formerly-trapped students who quickly obeyed, clambering over the debris to safety while thanking their struggling commander. "Dude, they're out!" he called to Squall once everyone was safe. "Drop it!"

Unfortunately, Squall couldn't simply 'drop it', not without potentially dropping it on himself. He was effectively stuck. "I can't…"

"Well, what do you want us to do?" Selphie said, trying not to panic but having a tough time of it; seeing one of her best friends holding up what appeared to be an entire floor already seemed surreal.

"Let's get up there and help him!" Zell yelled as he started to run toward his friend…

…only to be blown back by the massive thrusters of the Ragnarok as it descended over Squall's position, its manipulator arms reaching out to carefully take hold of the flooring that Squall had already been holding up for several minutes.

"Grab him!" Selphie yelled as the spaceship slowly lifted, pulled the flooring from her friend's grip. She and Zell, along with a large group of students, pushed against the force of the Ragnarok's thrusters to make their way to Squall, who had dropped to a kneeling position on the wall, though he appeared to be very unsteady.

"Don't worry, man; we gotcha," Zell said as he and Selphie each took an arm to help him to the ground. He then looked up to the spaceship. "Who the hell's flying the…" He trailed off, a smile spreading across his face as he realized who it had to have been. "Good job, babe; I owe you one."

In the cockpit of the Ragnarok, Sally's face was a mask of concentration as she carefully maneuvered the giant ship, trying to avoid hurting anyone or damaging anything as she carefully tickled the manipulator controls to lower the flooring to a safer position. She then giggled at the sight of Zell looking up at her, and she wondered what he'd say to her later.

* * *

"We had supports in place," Winn said regretfully as Squall sat on the ground, nursing a Hi-Potion; Zell and Selphie sat on either side of him, Sally having taken a place in her boyfriend's lap. Nearby, several members of Trabia Garden worked to set up Squall's and Selphie's temporary lodging. "I'm terribly sorry, commander; I really had no idea that it wouldn't be enough."

"Don't worry about it," Squall said, his breathing having returned to something closer to normal. He looked over to Zell with a grin matched by narrowed eyes. "Well, now I'm glad that you forced me to take all those Strength-Up tablets and had me Devouring all those T-Rexsaurs."

"Ew, Squall," Selphie giggled. "Did you have to bring that up now?"

"See? What did I tell ya?" Zell told him as he absently stroked Sally's back. "Protein, protein, protein."

"Yes, yes, you told me," Squall chuckled. He then looked over at the candidate seated in his friend's lap. "That was quick thinking, Candidate Reg-as you were, as you were…" he chuckled again as he nearly launched herself from Zell's lap to salute him. Once she'd settled back in her boyfriend's lap he continued. "Anyway, that was quick thinking, Candidate Regal; for what it's worth, I'm thinking of recommending your actions to the HM to see if that could qualify as your Field Exam."

"R-Really?!" Sally squeaked, her hands flying to her face and nearly slapping her man in the process. "Th-Thank you so much!"

"Dude, you rock!" Zell shouted, holding out his fist, which Squall awkwardly bumped. "Thanks!"

"What a great idea, Squall!" Selphie cheered, shooting a fist into the air.

"If it would help, I could write up a recommendation as well," Winn offered. "You assisted the commander in saving at least a dozen lives today; I believe that should count for something."

"Hear that, Mega-Bomb?" Zell giggled as he gave his girl a gentle noogie. "You got the Commander of the Unified Gardens and a headmaster on your side!"

In response, Sally got up from her man's lap again to salute the two men; this time, no one objected. "Thank you both, sirs. I do understand that this doesn't guarantee a promotion, but I really appreciate your willingness to do this for me."

"You're welcome, young lady," Headmaster Winn replied warmly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have loads of paperwork waiting for me. Commander, Chief; thank you in advance for your assistance and I hope you enjoy your time here."

"Thank you," Squall replied as Selphie hopped to her feet to give her former instructor another hug.

"Dude, Sally," Zell cackled as he wiggled his fingers at her middle as though to tickle her, "you scored big today!"

"I didn't know you knew how to pilot the Ragnarok," Selphie said as she took her seat again.

"I didn't, ma'am," Sally replied as her head tried to turtle into her shoulders. "My hands kinda moved on their own. Maybe it was from watching Zell so much."

"Instructor Dincht," Selphie said in an admonishing tone, "have you been giving Candidate Regal private lessons? Are you playing favorites, now?"

"Maybe," Zell replied with an easy smile that caused the others to chuckle appreciatively, Squall included.

"C-Commander?" The quartet looked to see a young woman in a candidate uniform standing before them…well, trembling before them as she held out a bottle toward him. "Please take this…as thanks for saving me-I mean, us."

"I got it," Selphie said, hopping to her feet before Squall could move a muscle. She examined the label, then looked at the candidate with concern. "Are you sure you want to give this up, Kara? Elixirs aren't cheap, and you really could use this here. Just in case, I mean."

"It's okay, ma'am," Kara replied, glancing between her Trabian comrade and her commander. "It's not from Garden stock; it's…it's mine."

Squall blinked in surprise before getting to his feet to join the women. "Did I hear you right? This is yours?"

"Y-Yes, sir," she replied, snapping a salute.

"As you were," he replied absently as he studied the smoky-brown bottle in Selphie's hands.

"I would really like it if you would use it for your recovery…sir," she told him, having dropped the salute but still standing at attention.

"Relax, Kara," Selphie ordered. "Squall's not like that."

Squall sighed heavily; he appreciated the gesture, but… "Would you be offended if I turned it down? Right now I think you and your people could use all the available resources. I'm fine, anyway; just a little sore."

"A-Are you sure, sir?" the young candidate asked respectfully.

"Heeeeere," Selphie insisted, smiling as she pressed the bottle back into Kara's hands. "I'm sure the commander's very grateful for your offer, but as you can see, he's fine." She closed the younger woman's fingers around the bottle. "What you can do for him is make sure to use this wisely, and think of him when you do use it…okay?"

"I will definitely think of him," Kara breathed as she looked up into Squall's face with wide eyes and an adoring smile. "Definitely."

It wasn't hard to see how the young candidate would be thinking of him, and Selphie gazed at her with an impish grin. "Squall, I think you have a new admirer."

"Huh?" Squall looked over at Selphie with a puzzled expression.

"Wh-What?" Kara blinked before trying to cover her face with her free hand. "Oh, no! Um, please excuse me, commander! I have to get…!" She suddenly stood ramrod straight. "Re-Request permission to be dismissed, sir!"

"Yeah…dismissed," Squall replied, still puzzled over his subordinate's odd behavior. As she hurried off he turned to his giggling friend. "Do you know what that was about? I get that she wanted to give me an Elixir, but…" He shrugged his shoulders, at a loss for further words.

"She's got the hots for you, you bonehead!" Zell laughed as he joined the two of them, Sally seated on his shoulder. "She even had that foot-turned-in thing going on; don't tell me you missed that!"

"Apparently I did," Squall admitted.

"It's hardly surprising, considering everything having to do with Rinoa went right over his head at first," Selphie teased as she moved her hands above her head; then her face fell as she realized what she'd just said. "Oh, no. I'm so sorry, Squall; I spoke before I thought."

"Don't worry about it," Squall replied with a tight voice and a wave of his hand.

"Maaaaaaybe Megalicious and I should head back before I say something stupid," Zell said in a subdued tone as Sally slid from his shoulder to take his arm. "I'm surprised the cheerleader here beat me to it."

"Me, too," Selphie giggled, though her guilt gnawed on her as she studied her friend's pained expression. "Thanks for the lift, Zell. Squall, I'm…" she jerked a thumb over her shoulder toward the building. "…I'm gonna go find something to do."

"All right," he replied; if he was upset at all, it didn't show. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah," she said, waving half-heartedly as she started back toward the Garden proper. "See you later."

Squall watched her leave until she rounded a corner, then sat down on a nearby chunk of rubble and buried his face in his hands. _Rinoa..._


	4. Cleaning Day

**Chapter Four: Cleaning Day**

"Commander?"

Squall looked over at the young man who stood at attention nearby. "As you were, Mr. Barton," he grunted as he heaved a large chunk of what used to be the second floor over the short wall and into the courtyard; nearby, his jacket lay neatly on an already-moved chunk of wall. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm…concerned about Chief Tilmitt, sir."

The pause in the other man's words caused Squall to stop what he was doing and give him his full attention. "What's the matter? Is she hurt?"

Barton paled, nearly stepping back at the intensity in his superior's gaze. "I…I think so, sir."

"You think so?" Squall quickly grabbed up a nearby cloth to wipe his hands as he started around from behind the wall; it had only been a half an hour since Zell and Sally had left in the Ragnarok, and Selphie had wandered off not too long before that. "Fine; take me to the infirmary."

"She's not at the infirmary, sir."

"Then where is she?" Squall demanded, fixing his gaze on the younger SeeD again.

"She's…at the cemetery, sir."

Squall paused in his cleaning. "The cemetery?"

"Yes, sir."

He briefly studied the younger SeeD before a realization had him nodding his head slowly. "All right, Mr. Barton, thank you; I'll take it from here."

"Very good, sir."

"Dismissed." As Squall's unofficial secretary hurried off, he finished cleaning his hands the best he could with just a cloth, grabbed up his jacket, then headed over to the north side of the complex.

It didn't take long to find the familiar dusty-gold overall dress and bouncy brown hair among the tombstones, and he stopped a good distance away to give himself a chance to study his normally-cheerful friend. He watched and listened as she talked to her late classmates, telling them about her progress at Garden, becoming the Head of Intelligence, and her desire to see Trabia Garden restored to its former glory. What Squall found odd was that it sounded like she would come close to crying several times but would stop herself, taking deep breaths to presumably calm down. Watching her repeated battles brought a lump to the normally-stoic young man's throat, which he immediately cleared. "Selphie."

She looked in his direction then smiled brightly, giving him her trademark exuberant wave as she straightened. "Hey, Squall!"

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Just…talking to my friends," she said, looking around at the tombstones all around as he made his way across the uneven terrain to join her.

He took in the surroundings again before looking into her smiling hollow eyes. "It's okay, you know."

Her slim brow furrowed slightly as she continued to look up at him. "What do you mean? What's okay?"

"It's okay to….to grieve them," he told her, having found the right words.

"Wh-What?" she stammered, and he thought he saw a crack in her happy façade, if even for just a moment. "I'm fine! I'm fine…really."

"Do you miss them?"

She blinked several times as she considered her answer. "I'm…glad they don't have to worry about fighting anymore," she replied, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself rather than her friend.

"That's nice," he said, "but you didn't answer my question."

"I didn't?" she replied, and even Squall could see that she was putting up a front; he'd been an expert at it for a long time, after all. "I'm sorry; what was your question again?"

"Do you miss them?" he repeated patiently, understanding that – in some way – he was seeing his old self. "Do you feel bad or sad that they're not around anymore?"

He would have missed the slight twitch of the lower lip had he not been watching for any change in her expression. "I…I can't…"

"Why not?" he asked honestly.

"Because I can't!" she exclaimed passionately, stamping a foot.

Squall opened his mouth to speak but then closed it; the situation was getting way outside his pay grade. "I…I don't understand…"

She studied him with moistening eyes before wiping them with the back of a hand as she giggled lightly. "I guess you wouldn't, huh?"

"I'm sorry…"

"No, it's okay," she replied, looking up at his mildly confused expression with one of compassion. "The truth is…I'm scared."

"Why?"

"I'm afraid if I start, I won't be able to stop," she admitted, the tears threatening to return.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not," she insisted, stamping her foot again. "It's like falling; I'll fall forever and ever."

"I'll catch you," Squall told her, then grimaced. "I'll admit that this 'friendship' thing is still pretty new to me, but that's what friends do for each other, right? When one of us falls, the others help him back up?"

"Yeah, you're right," she giggled lightly as she wiped away an errant tear with a finger. "I guess I'm just afraid that… I lost so many friends that…"

"It'll be more than you think you can handle?"

"Yeah," she sighed as she looked around at the tombstones again; normally she would be surprised that he was capable of such insight, but she had more immediate issues at the forefront of her mind. "It'd be too much."

Squall briefly studied her downturned face. "I'm sorry, Selphie; I wish I could take your pain away."

She flicked astonished eyes to his. "Squall, you…"

He blinked down at her. "What? What did I do?"

"Squall…" she whimpered as she stepped closer to him, agony in her soft brown eyes. "It hurts so much…"

He watched with confusion in his eyes as his friend reached for him, tears streaming down her face, but his arms moved on their own to accept her, wrapping around her trembling body to hold her tightly as she released months of pent-up grief, her hands and the side of her face pressed up against his chest as she shook. He didn't say anything – he didn't know what he could say that would help – but simply held her for as long as she needed.

* * *

Selphie sat on one of the larger pieces of rubble, her vacant gaze staring at nothing, the heels of her knee-high boots making a rhythmic _tap-tap_ as she absently kicked her feet.

"Here." She looked up to see Squall standing before her with a bottle of water in each hand, holding one out to her. "It'll help your stomach."

"Thanks." She reached out and accepted the drink, uncapping it and taking a few sips; she immediately started to feel better. "Amazing what water can do, huh?"

He sighed as she leaned against her rock, and she noticed that he wasn't wearing his jacket. "Well, considering that we're about fifty-five to sixty percent water, it's not too surprising."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "You know what I mean."

"Dr. K told me that having too little water in our bodies can have some pretty bad effects," he remarked before draining part of his bottle. "I can get some pretty bad headaches if I don't get enough."

"I can't imagine you ever getting sick," she giggled. She sobered quickly, though. "Seriously, though; thanks."

"For what?"

She looked over at his profile. "For…For caring. For letting me cry."

"I know what it's like," he replied matter-of-factly. "I understand." He took another swallow of his water.

His simple statement took her by surprise; she would never have expected him to say something like that. "Have you lost friends before?"

He shook his head as he swallowed. "Nope…" he replied as he capped his bottle, "…but I did lose Sis."

She smiled slightly; it was no big secret that Squall had been closer to Ellone than anyone. But to hear him admit aloud that her absence had affected him… "That must have been rough," she said quietly.

"You know, everyone seems to think that Rinoa's the one who got me to smile again, and that's probably partly true," he admitted, surprising her again. "But what I think really helped me was…" he rubbed at his nose, clearly uncomfortable with what he was about to divulge. "I think what really helped me was grieving the loss of Sis."

"Loss?" she echoed, her eyebrows knitting in confusion. "I don't understand; she was at Balamb Garden, then in Esthar. You saw her, right?"

"I did," he replied, then took a quick swig of his water. "But…how did Doc K explain it? I still had the pain from when Sis was taken, and I had to…" His eyes lost focus as he tried to remember the words. "…I had to accept that it hurt and let my younger self grieve…or something like that," he finished as he capped the bottle and set it next to himself on the rock. "It seemed stupid until I did it; I felt a lot better when I did, though."

"Did you cry?" she asked cautiously.

He cleared his throat, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye as he gently rubbed at his scar with a finger. "Like a six-year-old boy," he finally muttered. "Anyway, I really am sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," she said, her throat tightening again. "And thank you for sharing that with me; I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"I appreciate that," he replied briskly, then cleared his throat again as he averted his gaze downward.

She smiled over at her friend before sliding over on the rough surface to wrap her arms around his neck and shoulders the best she could. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Squall."

"Thank you," he grunted as he looked around awkwardly, uncomfortable with the form of attention he was receiving. "I…hope you're able to…smile again…for real…really soon… Could you let go of me, please?" he requested, gently but insistently pushing at her arms.

She giggled, giving him one last squeeze before releasing him and scooting forward to hop off the rock…only to find that the movement was sliding the bottom of her dress upward. "Um, Squall? Could you help me down?"

"Help you down?" he chuckled as he looked over at in amusement. "What, are you stuck?"

"Sort of," she giggled awkwardly, her face turning an interesting shade of red as she lightly rocked side to side. "Just…help, please?"

He regarded her for a moment longer before pushing himself off with a sigh to stand before her. "All right, what do you need me to do?"

"Just put your hands around my waist and lift me up a little and help me down," she said, unable to meet his gaze.

He blinked at her odd request until it hit him: "Your dress?"

She nodded, still unable to meet his gaze.

"Maybe you should start wearing longer dresses," he suggested as he stepped forward to take her by her middle. "Or skirts, or whatever."

"Maybe," she squeaked as she felt his hands close around her.

Thanks to his prior 'protein, protein, protein' diet Squall easily picked up the petite woman and carefully set her on her feet on the broken asphalt beneath them. "Are you okay?" he asked, keeping his hands on her waist to steady her as she regained her bearings on the uneven terrain. "Is everything where it belongs?"

"Yeah…thanks…" she trailed off as she looked up to his face; originally she just wanted to be polite, making eye contact to be considerate. But to see his face up close… She'd never really studied her friend's face before, but with as close as they were she could really see the resemblance between him and the man she idolized on her Garden Network page. "Wow…you're a hunk, too…" she breathed.

"Huh?" Squall was sure that he'd heard her incorrectly.

"Huh? Oh! D-Don't mind me!" she stuttered, fighting off a twinge in her chest as he released her waist and stepped back. "Just…Just thinking out loud! You know me; little airhead, here!" she said, forcing a giggle as she knocked on her head with her knuckles.

"Well, I don't think you're an airhead, but whatever," he told her, crossing his arms. "Are you going to be okay for now? I'd like to get back to throwing rocks if that's okay."

"Go, go," she replied, waving a hand as she tried to ignore the lingering sensation of his hands on her waist. "I'm fine! I'm good, thanks!"

He nodded once before turning and heading away, and as she watched his form get smaller and smaller she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to calm her unsteady thoughts as well as her equally unsteady feelings.

* * *

Squall wiped the sweat from his brow, checking the time on the newly-repaired clock on the outside wall of Trabia Garden as he tried to ignore the approving gazes of several giggling female SeeDs and candidates gathered around a nearby wall segment. While part of him wanted to go over to them and bark out some orders just to make them go away, another part didn't want to deal with the potential problems that could arise. _I'm having enough trouble with Rinoa right now._ _Don't need to cause any more problems due to a misunderstanding._ He grabbed up his jacket from a nearby wall-in-progress and started over to the Port-A-Tent that he would be sharing with Selphie. Fortunately, another feature of the tent was that it had partitions between each occupant allowing a certain amount of privacy, not to mention it kept those sleeping within from potentially rolling onto each other. Another testament to Esthar science.

"Are you all done for the day, Beefcake?" Selphie asked in a playful tone, stirring a small pot over an open flame as Squall approached their tent; he had thrown his jacket over his shoulder in spite of the rapidly-cooling air, which allowed his lean yet well-defined biceps to be seen through the short-sleeved shirt he wore underneath.

"Don't call me that," he huffed. "I've been getting enough comments like that since my little stunt with the Second Floor. Besides, I'm not ready to think about dinner yet."

"Well, you'd better start thinking about it; it'll be ready in about five minutes," she told him as he settled on a bit of rubble that had been set near the impromptu fire pit as a seat of sorts. "I can't let this go to waste."

As though on cue his stomach growled, earning himself an impish grin from his companion. "Okay, I guess I'm ready to think about dinner," he replied with a wry grin of his own. "What are we having?"

"Beef stew, with carrots and potatoes and all sorts of other vegetables!" she announced. "In fact, that's what we'll be having all week!"

"I can live with that," he said as he leaned forward to give the pot a sniff. "Hey, that does smell good. Thanks for your hard work."

"Y-You're welcome," she replied, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "It's not hard to make, really. I…I added a couple of ingredients of my own, so I hope it tastes okay."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," he said, sending her what he hoped was a reassuring smile; he still hadn't had much practice in that area, so… "Like I said; it smells great."

She fell silent as she continued to stir the pot, though it wasn't necessary at that point; 'Odine's Fantastic Field Rations' only required stirring up until the flash-frozen meal thawed, but she needed something to do to distract herself from the twinge in her chest, the third since starting on their trip.

"You okay?"

"Huh?" She jerked her gaze up to find him watching her with a look of concern. "Oh! I'm fine." She gave him her best smile, though she could feel it falter as she looked back to the pot. "Just have a lot on my mind."

"I can imagine," he said, mentally noting the evasive manner in which she had answered his question. "Do you need to talk about it again? Or are you still…" he waved his hands as he tried to find the right words. "…recovering from, uh, earlier?"

"I'm fine, Squall, really," she insisted, more strongly than she intended. "Could we please drop it for now?"

Squall's mouth fell slightly open in surprise; he'd never known the normally perky girl to snap at anyone…other than Irvine, at least. "Um, sure. Sorry."

"It's okay," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry."

Squall wasn't sure how to respond to his friend's odd behavior, so he kept an eye on her as they ate. He felt a somewhat heavy atmosphere over their meal and had to resist the urge on more than one occasion to ask if she was okay.

It was dark by the time they finished their meal, and Squall worked on extinguishing the fire while Selphie used one of their bottles of water to clean their bowls and the pot. After that he hid behind a tree to change into his nightclothes while she changed inside the tent; neither of them needed to worry about guard duty since they were inside the garden's walls; junior SeeDs and candidates took care of all of the patrols.

"Do you need anything from me before I turn in?" Squall asked as they reunited at the entrance to their tent; his nightwear consisted of a t-shirt like the one he wore under his jacket paired with a pair of dark shorts, almost black, that covered him to his knees.

"I'm good," she replied, thankful for the full-length robe that covered her puffy yellow shirt-and-shorts combination. "I might sit out here for a few minutes and look at the sky, though."

"All right. Good night." He crouched down to enter the tent.

"Squall?"

He paused and looked over his shoulder up at her. "Yeah?"

She folded her hands in front of her chest. "Thanks for coming with me. Because of you, I think I can finally smile for real again."

"Grieving allowed you to smile for real," Squall pointed out matter-of-factly.

"But you gave me permission to mourn my losses," Selphie counterpointed. "I…needed that. Thank you."

"You're…You're welcome," Squall mumbled awkwardly before quickly ducking into the tent.

She smiled at his retreating form and the light on his side of the tent that promptly shut off before settling herself on a piece of rubble to gaze up at the stars.


	5. Meanwhile

**Chapter Five: Meanwhile…**

The young sorceress wandered aimlessly along the second-floor ring of Balamb Garden, one arm crossed to hold the elbow of the other. Her knight had left for the remains of Trabia Garden and the separation was eating her up. With the way they'd been fighting, what if he'd gotten sick of her? What if he'd round another girl? A better girl? The thoughts were doing wonders for her stomach overall, let alone her appetite.

She waved absently at a trio of giggling female students heading the other direction, then returned her arm to its half-hugging position. She knew that one of the reasons that she was allowed to stay on-campus was her relationship with the Garden Commander, but she suspected that another reason was so she could be monitored by Garden staff and faculty due to her being the current Sorceress.

A familiar mane of gold drew her attention, and she smiled as Quistis Trepe headed toward her. "Good morning, Rinoa," she greeted as they shared a brief hug.

"Good morning, Quistis; it's so good to see you," Rinoa replied, enjoying the affectionate embrace.

"Are you okay?' Quistis asked as they pulled away from each other. "You feel really tense. Is it Squall again?"

"No!" Rinoa nearly yelled, her hand unconsciously flying to her chest where the two rings on her necklace still clinked together. "Well, maybe. I don't know." Wanting to change the subject, she forced a smile to her face. "How…How are you and Zone doing?"

"Really well," she replied, then suddenly dabbed at her eyes with the back of her hand as she chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry, it's just…"

"What's the matter?" Rinoa asked, starting to worry. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, no," the slim blonde replied while waving a hand. "It's just that…he told me that he burned all of his dirty magazines yesterday."

"Seriously? Zone did?" Rinoa could hardly believe her ears. "He's had those things forever!"

"Not anymore," Quistis told her as she reached into a pocket to pull out her phone. "He even sent me the video."

"Let me see," the raven-haired girl said eagerly. "He never told me he was going to do that." She waited as her friend tapped a few buttons on her phone before stepping next to her so they could both watch the video.

It showed the former Timber Owl standing next to an impressive pile of books and magazines piled on the ground. He first apologized to Quistis by name, then gave a brief explanation why he got into the magazines in the first place. After that he reached off-camera and took a small container, unscrewed the lid, and walked around the pile as he poured the liquid contents of the container on it. He produced a book of matches from his pocket, took one out, and lit it. He tossed the match onto the pile of dirty magazines and then ran off-camera just before it burst into flame.

Rinoa's eyes widened at the impromptu burn pile. "He must have used some kind of fuel," she breathed as she watched her friend's collection burn. "Wow, Abe; good for you."

After the fire had died down a little, Zone walked in front of it to face the camera again. _"I'm…sorry that I even had these things to begin with,"_ he said, looking straight into the camera despite the fierce blush that had become clearly visible. _"__You__ are more of a woman than all of these put together. I hope someday you'll be able to forgive me for having them in the first place."_ He then stepped off-camera again, and the view wobbled a bit as it zoomed in on the burning pile of magazines.

"Woowwww…" Rinoa breathed as the video faded to black. "He's been collecting those for a long time." She looked up to her friend's face. "Did you threaten him or something?"

"I didn't have to," Quistis said, her voice quavering as she dabbed her eyes again. "No, he did this all on his own… Dammit, I'm not going to start crying again."

"It's okay to cry," Rinoa told her, giving the other woman a brief hug as she smiled. "What he did was probably really hard for him to do, and he did it for you."

"I know you're right," Quistis sniffled. "It's just that I've cried a bunch of times already."

The young sorceress wasn't sure what to say, so she simply smiled as she gently rubbed the other woman's shoulders.

"You know, ever since he sent me that video, I've been thinking…" the former instructor said, her voice still trembling as she finished drying her eyes. "I was thinking of going on a date with him and wearing something sultry…"

"A-Are you sure you'd want to do something like that?" Rinoa asked hesitantly. "I mean, you don't normally wear stuff like that, and he's trying to get away from…" She lamely gestured toward Quistis' phone, unsure of how to finish her sentence.

"I know," Quistis said softly, "But if Abe's being honest with me, then I think he should be…rewarded for his efforts."

"Yeah, but he even said that he shouldn't have had the magazines in the first place," Rinoa pointed out.

"That's true, but he did have them, and he's given them up for me," Quistis said. "That tells me that I mean a lot to him, and…" She waved a hand. "This may not make any sense, but I want to show him that it was worth him getting rid of all of his books." She hid a giggle behind her hand. "It's not like he'll never see a naked woman again; he may just have to…wait a while."

"That…That makes sense," Rinoa said, feeling her face start to heat up.

"You're so cute, Rinoa," Quistis giggled. Then her face grew serious. "Listen, I've heard about your…issues…with Squall. If you need someone to talk to about it, know that I'm always here for you. Okay?"

"O-Okay," Rinoa replied while ducking her head. "I…I'm sorry, I need to go now; I'll see you later?"

"All right," Quistis replied with a fond smile.

As she hurried away from her friend, Rinoa thought back on their conversation… _Sultry…?_

* * *

The head of Balamb Garden's Ranged Combat stepped off the elevator into the first floor of the basement levels. As he made his way to the headmaster's new office – still under construction – he touched the brim of his hat at a pair of female candidates who giggled and waved before returning to their hushed conversation as he passed by. He finally stopped before the old-fashioned wooden door to Cid's office and reached out to knock on the door, but paused before taking several deep breaths to center himself. He had a pretty good idea why the HM had called him and he wanted a clear mind for the likely conversation.

"Come in," the familiar, kind voice sounded from behind the door just as Irvine was about to knock, and the sharpshooter smiled as he moved his hand from knocking to opening the door.

Most of the walls in the headmaster's new office had the shiny, gunmetal-gray colors of the rest of the complex, but the newer walls definitely stood out; wood grain, browns and greens. Looking around, Irvine could see that most, if not all, of the headmaster's possessions had been moved from his old office, including the desk behind which he presently sat, placing a stack of papers aside to give his guest his full attention.

"Reporting as ordered," Irvine announced, snapping a salute.

"As you were, Irvine," Cid replied in his typically gentle tone as he gestured to the high-back leather chairs in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat; unless, of course, you'd prefer to stand."

"Thank you, HM," Irvine drawled as he settled into one of the seats, stretching his legs out to rest them on the desk only to catch himself, instead opting to cross his right leg to rest its boot-covered ankle on his left knee. "What can I do for ya?"

Cid sighed as he regarded his former charge. "I've been hearing reports that you've been 'enjoying' the company of many of our female SeeDs and candidates."

"That's right," the sharpshooter said easily; he'd been right about the reason behind the summons. "Nothin' wrong with enjoying the beauty of the fairer sex, right?"

The headmaster sighed again. "Normally I would agree with you, but many of these young women have been complaining about the amount of attention you've been giving them, not to mention that Selphie and Zell recently visited Squall to inform him that your 'affections' have been disruptive to their students' training."

"Seriously?" Irvine uncrossed his legs to sit up straighter. "Ah, those two are just jealous that they can't keep their students under control. Look at me," he said, gesturing to indicate himself, "I don't have those kinds of problems."

"Most of your students are male," Cid pointed out, "but your point is reasonable. Nonetheless, I would like you to consider carefully how you interact with our female population here; I would hate for you to be reprimanded for something so easily avoided."

"Yeah…" Irvine grunted, sounding less confident. "I'll…keep that in mind."

"I would also humbly suggest that you consider how your actions could be affecting your relationship with Selphie," Cid added, looking over the top of his glasses at the younger man. "If you wish for your relationship to mature, she will need some kind of assurance that your eyes are ultimately for her."

"Yeah…" Irvine repeated, sounding even less confident as his eyes lost focus. "I'll…keep that in mind."

"Just so you know, Commander Leonhart will likely be talking with you about this upon his return." Cid gave a fatherly smile as he straightened in his chair. "I thought I'd give you the chance to think through your actions as well as their consequences, have some idea of what you'll want to say to him if or when the time comes." He looked at Irvine over his glasses one last time. "And just so you know, I didn't have to call you for this talk; I could have let him surprise you."

"Understood, HM," Irvine said thoughtfully, then clapped his hands on his knees before getting to his feet. "Well, I guess I have somethin' to think about."

"So it would seem," the older man agreed.

"Thanks, HM," Irvine said, pointing his finger at his 'dad' and mimicking a gunshot. "Can I scoot now?"

"Have a pleasant afternoon," Cid said with a smile and an imitation of Irvine's gesture, drawing a smile from the younger man. As the door closed, however, he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his desk and his chin on folded hands. "Though I'm afraid that the damage may already be done…"

* * *

"_I've been thinking… I was thinking of going on a date with him and wearing something sultry…"_

Quistis' words repeated themselves in Rinoa's head as she nearly ran to her room. Even though the beautiful blonde had said it about herself, Rinoa couldn't help but think: _Maybe if I wore something like that for Squall…_

She couldn't get her room door open and closed quickly enough before she hurried to her closet and slammed the doors open and began rummaging through her outfits. "What about this one? Would this one be-"

_ka-chirp ka-chirp_

The electronic beep from Rinoa's computer distracted her from her search, informing her that the latest issue had been released of the 'Balamb Guardian', a virtual newsletter started after the War of the Gardens and produced by several Garden students. "Well, let's see what's going on," she thought aloud, somewhat grateful for the distraction as she moved to sit in from of her computer and called up the newsletter.

The main page popped up, and the young sorceress froze: "Wh…What….?"

The main headline showed 'A NEW LOVE FOR COMMANDER LEONHART?' Under the headline was a photo of her knight holding one of her best friends in a tight embrace.

"S-Squall…? Selphie…?"


	6. Discovery

**Chapter Six: Discovery**

"Well, at least that gets most of the first floor cleared," Squall announced to no one in particular, clapping his hands to dust them. He grabbed up his trademark jacket and slung it over his shoulder before heading around the building with the intent to see how the students' efforts to shore up the second floor's supports were going. He approached a red-headed male SeeD seated on a larger piece of rubble. "How are things going over here, Mr. Mercer?"

The young soldier leaped to his feet but wobbled a bit as he snapped a salute. "Supports Five through Fifteen have been reinforced, and One though Four are nearing completion, sir."

"Thank you, Mr. Mercer," Squall replied, returning the salute before gesturing to the leg the soldier was obviously favoring. "Are you okay? Did you injure yourself?"

"Piece of debris hit me during the work, sir," Mercer replied, wincing as he dropped his salute. "Just resting before I return to duty."

Squall regarded him for a moment. "You're relieved for the day, Mr. Mercer."

"Sir?"

The Garden commander crossed his arms. "You're not going to be of any use to your comrades like that, and I won't have injured soldiers limping around and aggravating their injuries. Am I clear?"

"Very clear, sir."

"Sit down and wait here." Squall jogged back to his tent, retrieved a Hi-Potion and jogged back. "Drink this and rest," he ordered. "Report to me in the morning for a progress report."

"Yes sir," Mercer replied briskly as he snapped another salute, which Squall returned. "Thank you, sir."

"Dismissed."

Squall watched his subordinate as the latter headed into the garden's makeshift housing before turning and heading into the building himself.

"Sir!" A female candidate gasped as she skidded to a stop in front of Squall, having nearly collided with him from a side hallway. "Headmaster Winn is requesting your presence in his office."

"All right; thank you Miss Cretin…Krayton!" Squall quickly corrected while mentally smacking himself. "I'm sorry about that, Miss Krayton."

"It's okay, sir," she giggled. "People mess it up all the time."

"Thank you, and thank you for the message. Dismissed." Squall changed course and arrived at the headmaster's office a couple of minutes later, the auto-doors snapping open and announcing his arrival. "What can I do for you, HM?" he asked as the doors closed behind him.

"Ah! Commander!" Winn rose from behind his desk and headed toward a corner of the office, just to Squall's right. "We found something under the carpet over here that we thought you might be interested in seeing." He knelt down and started to pull the thin, brown carpeting away from the hard metal floor underneath.

"What is it?" Squall asked, moving to the man's side and leaning over for a better look.

"It's our understanding that you found access to the old shelter beneath Balamb Garden," the headmaster explained as he pulled that carpet away, revealing a hatch in the floor. "At first I thought this might have been intended as an escape hatch of sorts, but when I heard about your adventures leading up to Balamb's mobility…"

"I see. Have you checked it out, yet?" Squall asked, squatting down to examine the hatch with a critical eye. "We accessed the lower levels by bypassing a lock on the elevator, but Trabia Garden is smaller, so…"

"Not yet, Commander," Winn replied. "I didn't want to risk opening it up if there were monsters down there, or something equally unpleasant."

"Understood." Squall rose to his feet again. "I'll get Chief Tilmitt and we'll head down to check it out. Are there any SeeDs that I could take with me? I would just need one."

"Anyone in a SeeD uniform is at your disposal," the older man grunted as he got to his feet, having covered the hatch again. "If you would let me know who you intend to take, I would appreciate it."

"That shouldn't be too hard, considering we'll have to pass through here," Squall replied with a slight smile as he considered his options. He already had an idea of who he wanted to take, though…

* * *

"SeeD Barton reporting, sir!"

"As you were," Squall told his saluting subordinate, who relaxed to a more neutral posture. "Mr. Barton: What is your specialty?"

"Twin pistols, sir," Barton replied immediately, looking anxiously between his commander and the Chief of Garden Intelligence.

"Ooo!" Selphie squealed. "Have you named them yet?"

Confusion furrowed the young man's brow. "Named what, ma'am?"

"Your pistols, of course!" she exclaimed, clapping excitedly.

"I…haven't named them yet," he replied, giving his superiors another anxious look.

"Don't worry about it," Squall interjected, giving his bubbly friend a sideways glance. "Mr. Barton: Chief Tilmitt and I will be exploring what we believe will be the underbelly of your Garden and would like a third team member to accompany us. I assume that, as a SeeD, your skills are up to par?"

"I…do not know, sir," Barton admitted, visibly deflating. "I have not been able to practice much since the missile attack, so…" He straightened again. "Perhaps SeeD Helsi would be a better choice, sir? Her proficiency is with the machine gun."

Squall pursed his lips, trying not to remember some embarrassing memories as he studied the fidgeting SeeD.

"I think it'd be cool to have a pair of pistols with us!" Selphie exclaimed, unconsciously grabbing onto Squall's arm, then quickly letting go as she caught herself. "We haven't had firearms with us since…" Her face fell as she trailed off, and Squall figured that she was thinking about the womanizing sharpshooter.

"I agree, Chief," Squall said, partly to move the conversation along, but also to hopefully distract her from her sobering thoughts. "Mr. Barton, you're with us; get whatever provisions you need and meet us in front of the headmaster's office in fifteen minutes."

"Could he take from our stuff?" Selphie asked. "I'd hate for us to use up Trabia's supplies."

Squall's eyes lost focus, and then he nodded slowly several times before looking to the junior SeeD. "You know where our tent is, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Take what you need from our supplies first, then take from your supplies if needed. Understood?"

Barton snapped another salute. "Understood, sir!"

"Fifteen minutes. Dismissed." Squall watched the younger man hurry off before turning to his traveling companion. "Do you know him at all?"

"Not really," she replied with a shake of her head. "I mean, I know that he and I attended at the same time before I transferred to Balamb Garden, but…" She shrugged her shoulders with an embarrassed grin that caused her nose to wrinkle cutely. "Sorry."

"It's fine," he replied, smiling slightly at her expression as the two of them headed to their tents to gather supplies of their own. "I guess we'll be getting to know each other better really soon, then."

* * *

Exactly fifteen minutes later, the three of them met outside Headmaster Winn's office. "SeeD Barton, reporting as ordered, sir!" Barton said, snapping to attention before his superiors.

"As you were," Squall replied almost reflexively. "Mr. Barton, for this mission I will be transferring my GF junctions to you."

"S-Sir…?" the younger SeeD stammered.

"Squall, are you sure?" Selphie politely protested. "You and The Big Three are pretty tight, but he's…" She turned to address her junior. "Have you ever Junctioned before?"

"No, ma'am," Barton replied, a light sheen of sweat visible on his forehead. "This would be my first time."

"Don't worry about it," Squall said as reassuringly as he could. "You won't be casting spells or summoning anyone; this is just to reinforce your stats."

"Oh! I see!" Selphie chirped, smacking the palm of one hand with a fist. "Okay, James; everything'll be fine, just close your eyes and let Squall-er, the commander do his thing."

"Y-Yes, ma'am," Barton replied as he forced his eyes shut.

Squall closed his eyes as well. _Diablos, Doomtrain, Tonberry? I'm asking you to assist Mr. Barton for this assignment. Keep all magic junctioned as is, as well as all support abilities, but give him the GF, Level Down, Recover, and Item commands. Will you do this?_

_We will do this_ a trio of voices echoed, and Squall could feel them leave his consciousness, leaving him with a slightly lonely feeling.

"AH!" Squall's eyes snapped open to find Barton wide-eyed and breathing heavily, seated on the floor as Selphie carefully cradled him; apparently the sudden introduction to his new companions had been too much for the man. "I…There…"

"It's okay, it's okay…" Selphie said gently as she rubbed his back. "It's always a little jarring the first time, but you'll get used to it." She looked up at Squall. "Maybe we should have sent them over one at a time?"

"Maybe," Squall admitted, feeling more than a little guilty as he eyed the soldier with a concerned look. "Are you okay, Mr. Barton?"

"I'm…I'm fine," Barton said, slowly getting to his feet with the chief's assistance. "Wow… This is so cool…" he looked around, though his eyes were unfocused. "It's…an honor to meet you all…"

"Just think what you want to say to them," Selphie giggled. "You're going to weird people out if you walk around talking to yourself."

Barton snapped his mouth shut, but still looked around in wonder.

"Selphie, keep an eye on him while he gets acquainted with his new friends," Squall requested as he stepped into the auto-door's detection range, causing it to slide open. "I'll set things up in here."

"What are you going to do about Junctions?" she asked, clearly worried.

"Improvise," he replied with a rare smile of confidence before turning to enter the office.

* * *

"Thank you again for your willingness to look into this," Headmaster Winn said as he pulled the carpet away, unveiling the floor hatch yet again. "I think we'll all sleep easier once the three of you get to the bottom of this…no pun intended."

Selphie let out a delicate snort while the other two remained silent, though Barton couldn't help but allow a slight grin.

"'We'?" Squall echoed. "Are you implying that everyone knows about this?"

"I…thought it best that everyone know the situation," the headmaster explained as he gestured at the hatch. "Were something to come out of this, I would hate for us to be taken by surprise."

"It was my suggestion, commander," Barton offered. "I'll take full responsibility."

"It's fine," Squall said with a wave of his hand. "I can see the logic in it." He knelt down and examined the floor hatch. "Hm; nothing too complex." He looked up at Selphie. "Any reason I couldn't just yank it open?"

"It should be fine," Selphie replied, then pointed to a circular depression next to the handle. "That might be a combination lock, though, but I could be wrong."

"If you'd like, I could try to open it, sir," Barton offered.

"No, that's all right; thanks." Squall took hold of the hatch handle and pulled. After much squeaking and grinding the hatch laid open before them; a ladder could be seen descending into the darkness. "I'll go first. Selphie, you're next and Mr. Barton will bring up the rear."

"Okey-Dokey!"

"Yes, sir."

Squall nodded once to his teammates before carefully turning himself around to mount the ladder; there was just enough room for a human being to fit into the opening, though he noticed that the opening widened considerably just past floor level. He paused a moment to let his eyes adjust to the relative darkness before continuing down the ladder; he didn't need to be surprised by any flying monsters.

As he continued down he felt the ladder vibrate slightly, informing him that Selphie had started her descent. "Don't go too fast," he called up to her. "I stopped to let my eyes adjust, so I'm not as far down as you might think."

"Got it," she replied from above.

As he continued down he paused and glanced up to make sure not only that she was following him, but that SeeD Barton was also following him. What he saw made his eyes widen in surprise, nearly losing his grip on the ladder.

He could see right up the dress of the Chief of Intelligence…not to mention one of his best friends.

"Everything okay, Squall?" he heard her call from above. "It felt like you stopped for a moment."

"I'm fine," Squall replied, taking a deep breath as he refocused on his descent.

It wasn't very long before the three of them reached the bottom of the ladder, ending in a small, circular room. "Whew, that was a long ladder!" the perky brunette exclaimed as she brushed her hands against each other before turning to her fellow Trabian. "Are you okay, James?"

"I…am unharmed, if that's what you're asking, ma'am," he replied, sounding slightly winded.

She hid a giggle behind her hand. "We're on a mission, so I don't mind if you call me 'Selphie'; you can call me 'ma'am' again after we're done. I hate all these stuffy titles, anyway."

"Understood, ma'am-I mean, Selphie."

She flashed him her trademark cute smile before turning her attention to her superior. "Squall, would it be okay if he called…you…. Hey, are you okay, Squall?"

Squall faced away from the other two, his face buried in one hand as he faced the wall; from the back, he appeared to be focused on his breathing.

"Squall?" She took a hesitant step toward him and reached out to lay her hand on his back. "Are you o-"

"YES!" Squall suddenly exclaimed as he raised his hands in a defensive gesture. "I'm all white! I mean, I'm all right! Thank you!"

To his credit, Barton tried to find a way to get everyone's attention away from his commander's apparent distress. "This would appear to be the only direction was can go, sir," he informed the group as he pointed down the only hallway leading out of the cramped room.

"Then check your junctions and weapons and let's go," Squall ordered before heading off at a brisk pace, forcing his comrades to hurry to keep up as they followed him into the dark underbelly of Trabia Garden.


	7. A Surprise Gift

**Chapter Seven: A Surprise Gift**

The shot from the Lionheart echoed off the walls of the metal hallway, and Squall watched with satisfaction as the Forbidden dissolved into a purple haze before disappearing completely. He gave his gunblade a couple more swings before resting it on his shoulder as he turned to the others. "Is that all of them?"

"Yup!" Selphie exclaimed, hopping as she started her trademark victory dance.

Squall chuckled to himself as she rested her huge set of nunchaku on her shoulder and shook her hip, then shifted his gaze to Barton as the latter twirled his revolvers before neatly placing them in their holsters. "That's some impressive gunplay, Mr. Barton."

"Thank you, sir," the younger Seed replied, sounding mildly winded.

"Where'd you learn to twirl your guns like that?" Selphie asked as she joined the two men.

"Self-taught, Miss Selphie," he said as he patted the holsters that rested on each side of his hips. "But I got the idea from an old movie about a cop who's critically injured in the line of duty."

"I think I've seen that one," Squall remarked as he settled onto one of the many metal boxes scattered throughout the room in which they'd just been fighting. "And what about your holsters? They're obviously custom-made."

"Yes, sir, they are," he replied smartly. "They're designed to automatically reload my weapons whenever they're holstered."

"So is that an ammo drum of some kind on your back, then?" Selphie followed up as she pointed at the thin, hard-plastic backpack that nearly covered his entire back and connected to the holsters by a pair of flexible tubes.

"That's right," Barton said, allowing himself to show a little pride. "I designed and built it myself."

"Well, aren't you a genius?" Selphie asked in a playful tone, clearly trying to tease the younger SeeD.

"N-No, ma'am," he replied, looking over to the commander to avoid her impish grin. "I just… Look out, commander!" Before anyone could blink, he had his revolvers in hand, pointed at his superior.

Squall momentarily froze at the unexpected sight of his subordinate pointing weapons at him. "Mr. Barton, what are you-"

The rest of his question was drowned out by the sound of Barton's revolvers discharging. Squall doubled over to dodge the gunfire, but it turned out to be unnecessary as the rounds flew well over where his head had been to strike the Forbidden that had somehow snuck up on them.

"Sorry, sir," Barton said as the creature staggered. "Acted before I thought."

Squall mentally kicked himself for questioning his companion's integrity. "Don't worry about it," he said as he and Selphie scrambled for their weapons. "Good eyes."

"Thank you, sir," Barton replied, briefly holstering his weapons as two more Forbidden approached.

"I'm fired up now!" Selphie shouted as she swung her nunchaku into her ready stance. "Nobody sneaks up on me!"

Squall sighed, smiling slightly at his friend's exuberance as he gave his own weapon a warm-up swing.

The trio was able to dispatch one of the Forbidden with ease, but the other two gave them some trouble. One, in particular, was having an easier time than usual dodging their attacks.

"Throw a Full-Life at it!" Squall ordered.

Selphie reached into the subspace pocket created by her connection to her Guardian Forces, then smiled as an idea came to mind. Instead of a Full-Life, she grabbed an Aura Stone and threw it over Barton, the stone shattering over his head as he holstered his weapons to reload.

"What are you doing?" Squall demanded, breathing heavily. "I said a Full-Life!"

Selphie gave her boss a sly grin. "Just wanted to see what our new buddy can do."

In the meantime, Barton was in the process of retrieving his sidearms from their holsters when a sudden sense of calm and focus washed over him, and he looked over at the Forbidden that had been giving them so much trouble. He raised one revolver and repeatedly pulled the trigger, sending the rounds squarely into his target's chest…or, at least, its closest approximation. After emptying the first revolver he twirled it back into its holster as he twirled the other revolver out of its holster to a firing position, emptying it into his target as well. The creature staggered back as Barton drew the first one again, twirling it to level it at his target and empty it again. He continued in this manner until he had emptied each revolver three times before he lost focus. It was enough, though, as the monster fell to the ground, dissolving into a purple mist.

Squall and Selphie barely had time to enjoy the show, as they finished dispatching the last Forbidden.

"I think that's the last of…" Squall trailed off, shouldering his gunblade with a sigh as Selphie went into her dance routine again. "Don't you ever get tired of that?"

"Tired of what?" she asked, apparently unaware that she was effectively wiggling her hips around two young men.

"Never mind," he grunted as he saw Barton, who was twirling his revolvers back into their holsters. "I guess we all have our quirks."

Selphie simply giggled.

"That was weird," Barton said as he joined the pair a moment later. "I was feeling anxious during the fight, but…all of a sudden, my mind became so…so clear."

"You can thank Selphie for that," Squall told him. "I told her to throw a Full-Life at the enemy, but she threw an Aura Stone at you instead."

"Hey, I've seen what everyone else can do," she pouted. "I don't know how many times I've seen your Renzokuken; I just wanted to see what James could do."

Squall wasn't sure how to reply, so he simply shook his head with a sigh.

"Do you have a name for that?" Selphie asked, whirling on the junior SeeD. "That was totally cool!"

"Um…no," Barton replied rubbing the back on his head. "To be honest, that's the first time I've done something like that; it just kinda…came to me."

"How about Barrage?" she suggested, clapping.

"M-Maybe…" he said, feeling a little intimidated by her energy.

"Concentrated Fire."

Selphie and Barton looked over at Squall, who was studying Barton with his arms crossed. "I'm sorry, sir?"

"Concentrated Fire," Squall repeated, then looked away. "Like your technique, the name just came to me."

The pair appeared to mull this over. "I like it," Selphie decided. "It sounds cooler than Barrage and it perfectly describes what you did."

"Yeah…" Barton said, a smile spreading across his face. "I like that one. Thank you, commander."

"You're welcome," Squall replied, and Selphie giggled as she noticed that he couldn't meet their gaze. "Let's…Let's just move on." He headed across the room to the only other doorway and passed through.

"Did I say something wrong?" Barton asked Selphie as they hurried to catch up with their rapidly retreating commander.

"No," she giggled in spite of being slightly short-of-breath. "Squall's just never liked being thanked. He's the same with compliments."

"I see…"

"Don't worry; he knows that he's like that, so he won't scold you or anything for saying nice things about him."

"That's a relief," Barton puffed as Squall's figure came into sight. "Even though I haven't known him very long, I really look up to him."

"Tell him that," Selphie said with a grin that bordered on wicked. "I'd love to see his reaction."

They were too close to say any more, so Barton simply chuckled as they caught up with the commander.

* * *

"Good; no Oilboyles," Squall grunted approvingly as the trio approached what appeared to be the end of their trek; at the end of a long corridor sat a dormant terminal, and Squall thought he recognized it as being similar to the one he found in the Centran shelter under Balamb Garden.

"'Oilboyles'?" Selphie echoed. "Like what we fought in Ultimecia's castle?"

"Yup," Squall confirmed as he secured the Lionheart to its scabbard. "We had to fight a couple of them before we reached the control center under Balamb Garden." He briefly scanned the multiple consoles before him. "Yeah, just as I thought; looks like the Centran language. Selphie, can you make sense of this?"

"I'll do my best!" Selphie exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air before turning her attention to the ancient lettering. "Let's see…"

As the Head of Garden Intelligence studied the consoles, Squall stepped back to give her space to work. He smiled slightly at the intense expression on her face as she worked; she was usually so perky and bubbly in her expressions that to see her so focused, so serious, made for an interesting contrast.

As he watched, he felt Barton sidle up to him. "Sir? May I ask a question?"

"What is it?" Squall replied without taking his attention off of the intelligence officer.

"It's purely a curiosity question, sir, so I'll certainly understand if you won't answer, but… Are you and Chief Tilmitt…together?"

Something about the tone of the younger man's question had Squall looking over in confusion. "We came here from Balamb Garden at the same time, yes."

"That's not what I mean, sir," Barton said respectfully, though he looked the poster boy for awkwardness. "I mean…are you together as in a dating sense?"

Squall suddenly had to check his temper, surprising himself. "We are not, and I would appreciate it if you wouldn't ask me any more questions of this nature."

"Y-Yes, sir!" Barton squeaked, nearly turning white as a sheet. "I'm terribly sorry!"

Squall sighed heavily as he studied his terrified subordinate. "I understand that you didn't mean any harm, but…" He rubbed at his scar. "That kind of thing is a sore spot for me right now. Sorry for snapping at you."

"It's quite all right, sir," Barton replied, starting to reclaim his usual skin tone. "It was a personal question that I had no business asking."

"Why did you ask, anyway?" Squall asked, genuinely curious. "Are you interested in her or something?"

"I'm actually in a relationship, sir," the younger man said proudly. "I asked because… Well, I had a sense that you two have a special bond or something like that."

"We fought against Ultimecia together, along with some other people," Squall told him.

"I see…" Barton appeared to mull over his commander's words. "Well, please forgive my nosiness in any case; I'll keep any further personal questions to myself."

"Thank you, Mr. Barton," Squall said before turning his attention back to the intelligence chief. "For what it's worth, this hasn't damaged our working relationship as far as I'm concerned."

"Thank you, sir."

"Squall?"

Selphie's voice drew Squall's attention, and he suddenly felt self-conscious as he joined her at the console she had been studying. "Have you found anything?"

"I think so," she replied, pointing at an array of buttons. "These appear to control the shelter's mobility, like what you did with Balamb."

"Did you try pressing any of them?"

"There's no point to it without power," she said, moving to another console, "which this controls. Should I turn the lights on?" she asked with a grin.

"Go ahead," he told her. "Unless you'd feel better if I did it."

"No, as long as you're okay with it…" She reached out and flipped a few switches, then pressed a button. A moment later they heard the creaking and whining of ancient machinery groaning to life. Lights started to illuminate, one by one, and the other consoles lit up, starting what appeared to be a power-up self-test. "Hold on…" she murmured, approaching one console in particular to examine a small display. "If I'm reading this right… 'damage'….'no'…'execute'…" She turned to Squall. "I think this is a maintenance control console."

"Do you think we could use it somehow to help fix the Garden?" Barton asked.

"It'd probably be little more than cleaning robots," Squall grunted, clearly unimpressed. "Can you have it run a self-diagnostic? If it works, we could use the extra hands."

"Ooo! Good idea!" Selphie turned back to the console and studied it briefly before pressing a couple of buttons. "There!"

The structure around them lurched, nearly sending them all to the floor; fortunately Squall and Barton were able to grab onto the handrails, while Selphie grabbed the console before her with a death grip. "What did you do?!" Squall shouted over the newest round of screeching from the machinery.

"I thought I told it to run a self-diagnostic like you asked!" Selphie hollered back. "I didn't know it would do this!"

"What is it doing?!" Barton chimed in as the screeching started to subside.

"I don't know!" Selphie wailed, thinking not just of herself and her companions, but all of her unsuspecting friends in the Garden above. "Oh, NO! I'm so sorry, everyone!"

"Mr. Barton!" Squall barked, whirling on his subordinate. "Get topside and get everyone out of the Garden! I'm staying here with Selphie! Don't stop to fight anything! If Winn questions you, tell him 'Squall-Diablos-One'! Got it?"

"'Squall-Diablos-One'!" Barton repeated. He turned to run but stopped short. "Sir, do you want your Junctions back?"

"No! Go!" Squall ordered, waving his subordinate off before turning to Selphie. "Can you fix this?" It was then that he saw that his friend had covered her face with both hands, and was trembling violently; he knew it couldn't be from the vibrations of the machinery. "Selphie…" He laid his hands on her shoulders. "It's gonna be okay."

"It's all my fault!" she wailed, yanking her hands away from her tear-stained face though her eyes remained closed. "Last time it was the Galbadians; this time it'll be me!"

He wasn't sure what to say directly to that, so he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. "Look, Selphie; we're still alive, so Trabia Garden's still standing, so we still have time. I just need you to-" He cut himself off as the noise and vibrations suddenly stopped, though the machinery continued to operate. "What…?"

"What is it?" Selphie asked, stepping away from her friend as his arms relaxed around her.

Squall pointed toward the top of the machine on the other side of the console; from the top of the large device tendrils of energy could be seen shooting out to the center of the ceiling. "What is that?"

"I don't know…" she sniffled. "Oh, please let everyone be okay this time…"

* * *

"Headmaster Winn!" a young candidate exclaimed as she burst through the door to the headmaster's office.

"I know; I can feel it, too," he said, gathering several papers as pens and pencils rattled around on his oaken desk. "Get everyone out of the Garden." As the young woman hurried out the door he quickly finished gathering his paperwork before rushing out the door himself.

Outside, the gathered staff, faculty, and students murmured amongst themselves, some comforting others while others simply stared at the broken-down Garden and wondered if it was the end of their beloved home.

"Everyone, please stay calm," Headmaster Winn said in as comforting a tone as he could manage, given the circumstances. "Commander Leonhart, Chief Tilmitt, and SeeD Barton are all in there. I'm sure they'll never let-" He cut himself off, startled as the ground suddenly stopped shaking.

"Look!" a female SeeD shouted as she pointed toward the top of Trabia Garden.

Winn turned and followed everyone's gaze. From the top of Trabia Garden, what appeared to be bolts of lightning could be seen, sparking from the top of the building to the partly-destroyed ring that had somehow managed to stay afloat in spite of the devastation. "What in the…"

A cry of terror emanated from the crowd as the ring began to spark. "It's going to explode!" someone cried out. "Run!"

"No! It's not!" another voice shouted. And as everyone watched, tendrils of energy snaked from the ring and struck several of the larger pieces of rubble, and a collective gasp rose from the crowd as the tendrils started to pull the rubble from the ground and toward the ring itself, which had started to take on a familiar glow. As the debris made contact with the ring it started to glow as well, so brightly that everyone had to shield their eyes. When the intensity of the glow started to fade and they could uncover their eyes again, not one of them could believe what they were seeing.

The ring above Trabia Garden had been restored. Not only that, it had started to rotate.

Everyone stared in stunned silence as the ring started to descend, more tendrils of energy extending from it, reaching out to gather the collected debris as well as the larger chunks that no one had been able to move. All of this it pulled in as it continued to descend onto the still-ruined structure beneath it.

"Oh my god…" Winn breathed. "Is it…rebuilding itself…?"

"Headmaster Winn!" Barton yelled as he charged out of the main entrance, oblivious to the activity going on above him. "We need to get everyone out of the Garden! 'Squall-Dia…'" he trailed off as he saw everyone looking above him, and he followed their collective gaze to see… "What the…?"

"Get over here, Jim!" SeeD Helsi yelled as she waved him over. "Hurry!"

He didn't waste a moment in getting away from the now-shimmering structure, and joined the others in watching in awe as Trabia Garden's ring surrounded it with energy even as it continued to collect debris. It stopped, hovering just above ground level, still rotating, and several females started to cry at the sight of a partially-restored Trabia Garden.

The ring started to ascend, rotating faster as it moved, becoming a blur to the naked eye. Debris swirled around it as though caught in a tornado, before being drawn in. The glow intensified yet again, causing everyone to shield their eyes yet again, and when the glow had faded enough so everyone was able to uncover their eyes, before them stood a fully-restored Trabia Garden, its ring proudly hovering overhead.

There wasn't a dry eye anywhere in the crowd as the males joined the females in openly crying at the sight of their home, no longer in ruins.

* * *

The Commander of the Unified Gardens climbed out of the hatch into the headmaster's office. "Well, at least it's still intact," Squall noted as he took hold of his friend's hand to help her climb out of the shaft.

"That's a relief," Selphie grunted as she got her feet planted on solid floor. "I'm sorry for…cry…" She found herself unable to finish her sentence as she looked around the room. "Squall?"

"Yeah?" he said, trying but failing to see what she was seeing.

"This room looks different than before," she told him. Then, her eyes widened. "Did it…?" She suddenly bolted for the doors, pausing to examine them as they opened before sprinting down the hall.

As he ran after her, Squall saw out of the corners of his eyes that Trabia Garden looked…different. _Newer, somehow_ he noted. He also realized that it seemed like he was inside the building longer than when he arrived, as though the reconstruction team had worked overtime.

He finally caught up with Selphie at what appeared to be the entrance, if the crowd gathered outside was any indication. "Looks like he got to them in time," he said as Selphie stared through the clear glass to her friends outside.

"It couldn't be…" she breathed before rushing though the auto-doors and into the area beyond.

Outside, they found quite the spectacle; candidates and SeeDs holding each other and crying, with staff and faculty doing the same.

Squall even found the headmaster with a handkerchief pressed to his face. "Ah, Commander Leonhart…"

"Headmaster! Is everyone all right?" Squall nearly demanded, still trying to make sense of the scene.

"We're fine," Winn sniffed before folding his handkerchief and tucking it away. "I don't know how you did it, but thank you so much."

"Did?" Squall said, puzzled. "What did we do?"

"Squall…"

Squall looked over to his friend, who was staring back the way they'd come with an expression of shock. "Selphie, what's…wrong…? What the…?" He stared in mute shock at the sight of an intact Trabia Garden. "When did that happen?"

"A few minutes before you came out," Headmaster Winn replied. "That is, it finished rebuilding itself a few minutes before your arrival."

"It…rebuilt itself?" Squall could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"Sir!" a familiar voice called out, and a moment later a very excited Barton was standing before him. "I am pleased to report that the reconstruction of Trabia Garden is complete!"

"Report," Squall ordered, falling back on protocol.

Barton snapped to a salute. "I arrived in time to witness what I understand to be Phase One of the Garden's self-reconstruction, sir. From speaking with the others I have determined that the ring repaired itself first before working its way down the structure then back up, utilizing existing materials to repair itself as it went."

"Then that system that Selphie activated was…?"

"I believe it was the self-repair system, sir," Barton concluded.

"I did it?" Selphie said, walking toward the men on wobbly legs. "I helped Trabia Garden repair itself?"

"That appears to be the case, ma'am," Barton confirmed, still locked in his salute.

"As you were, Mr. Barton," Squall chuckled; the whole situation seemed so surreal. He then looked over at his teary, trembling friend and couldn't help but smile. "Well, Selphie; how about that? You got to save Trabia Garden after all."

"I did it…" she whimpered. "I saved it… I saved us…"

"That you did, Chief Tilmitt," Winn said proudly. "On behalf of the staff, faculty, and students of Trabia Garden – not to mention from the bottom of my heart – I thank you for your efforts."

"I did it…" she whimpered again as she reached out to her good friend. "Squall…I did it…"

Squall sighed and, in spite of the size of his potential audience, spread his arms to receive an overjoyed and teary Selphie. _At least they're happy tears this time_.


	8. Turbulence

**Chapter Eight: Turbulence**

The Garden Commander and the Head of Intelligence was the picture of opposites as they waited by Trabia Garden's main gate for the arrival of the Ragnarok; while Squall was his typical subdued self, watching as the Port-a-Tent repacked itself for transport, Selphie hopped from foot to foot in eager anticipation of her friends' reactions to her newly-restored home.

"Do you know who's coming?" Selphie asked yet again, her eyes still on the clear southern skies.

"I don't know any more than the last time you asked me," Squall chuckled in spite of his slight annoyance; it was hard to get truly angry with the bubbly brunette, after all. "HM said that Zell would be coming to pick us up, as well as drop off supplies for Friday night's party along with some general supplies to help them get restarted. I assume that Candidate Regal will be with him, but I don't know."

"I know, I know," she giggled. "That's how you answered last time, too, and with the exact same words."

"I like to be consistent," he deadpanned.

"Any sign of your friends yet?" Squall turned to see Headmaster Winn heading toward them, glancing up to the sky every so often.

"Not yet, sir," Squall replied, snapping a salute which Winn returned.

"Well, by their estimates, they should be here any… Ah! There they are!" he suddenly exclaimed, squinting as he pointed to the sky, where a large red object could be seen approaching.

As the outline of the Ragnarok became clearer, Selphie started jumping repeatedly and waving her arms as though to signal the spaceship's landing. "Over here! Over heeeere!"

Squall shook his head with a slight smile as he crossed his arms. _It's not like they're not going to know where we are…_ he sighed. _Or that they'll be able to hear you._

As the Ragnarok started to descend outside the main gate, Winn made his way over to a keypad to the right of the main gate's doors and keyed in a code, signaling the massive doors to open; being in a less-hospitable environment meant that the Garden had to be more enclosed than either Galbadia or Balamb.

"I've missed that sound," Selphie said as the doors ground and screeched their way open.

Finally, the doors opened enough for the trio to pass through and walk over to the giant vessel as its cargo ramp opened, and Selphie resumed hopping from foot to foot.

The first face to show itself was a very familiar one. "Heard you were having a party this weekend," Zell declared with a huge grin as he descended the ramp, carrying a large box on his shoulder; Sally followed carrying a small cooler. "I brought the 'dogs and the drinks; what did you bring?"

"Zell," Squall greeted, raising a hand to exchange a fist-bump with his blonde-haired friend.

"Naw, I brought him already," Zell quipped as he returned the bump then paused, his eyes narrowing in thought. "Wait… Actually, Megalicious brought me; she flew the ship this time."

"Zell…" Sally giggled.

"It's so good to see you two again," Selphie sighed happily as she exchanged a fist bump with Zell as well, though their particular version had them wiggling their fingers as they pulled their hands away from each other.

"That's different," Squall noted as he watched his friends' antics.

"Yeah, I want to have something unique, a special way to, uh…connect with each of my friends," Zell said. "'Course, I don't have one with Sally here; we just smooch a lot."

"Z-Zell!" Sally squeaked as she tried to hide her beet-red face behind her cooler.

"Chief Dincht, Candidate Regal; it's a pleasure to see you again," Headmaster Winn greeted, unsure of how to otherwise smoothly integrate himself into the conversation. "Welcome to Trabia Garden."

"Aw, HM, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to blow you off or anything," Zell lamented. "It's just that it's so cool to see my homies again, not to mention your re-furbed Garden." He gave an approving nod as he took in the sight of the resurrected Garden. "Sweeeeee-EET!"

"It…certainly is 'sweet', thank you," Winn said, internally trying to translate the younger man's verbiage to something more recognizable. "Do you have anything more that needs to be unloaded? I and the staff, faculty and students would be glad to help out."

"Are you kid-?" Zell started to reply before he remembered who he was addressing. "Uh, yeah; we've got a bunch more stuff in the hold. If you could spare the help, that'd be awesome."

"Very well; I shall return." With that, Headmaster Winn turned and headed back toward the Garden.

"Ah, Commander," a warm, friendly, and familiar voice greeted, and Squall and Selphie smiled as Headmaster Kramer descended the ramp along with his wife. "Based on what I saw during our approach, it would seem that you have been quite busy."

"Yeah, dawg," Zell added, jerking his chin at the complex. "How did you get her all shiny and new so quickly?"

"That's…a bit of a story," Squall replied while exchanging a slight smile with Selphie. "I'll tell you all about it later, but for now I'll just say that Selphie saved the day. In the meantime…" he continued, ignoring her embarrassed gasp as he started toward the Ragnarok, "…we'll help with unloading."

"H-Hi, Squall…" came a familiar, hesitant voice, causing him to freeze mid-step. "Is…it okay for me to be here?"

He released a sigh, looking past Cid and Edea to see Rinoa standing on the very end of the ramp, as though she was waiting for permission to finish debarking. With her stood Quistis and Zone, offering support with their presence.

"When she heard that Trabia Garden had been restored, she really wanted to come and see it," Cid explained.

"We understand that the two of you have been having difficulties," Edea added in a low tone, laying a reassuring hand on Squall's back, "so if you don't want her here, we'll understand…and so will she."

"Matron…" Squall buried his face in a hand, a feeling of guilt starting to work its way into his heart. "It wouldn't be right for me to send her away-"

"But you came here to put some space between the two of you," Selphie protested, reaching for his arm before catching herself. "So you could work out your feelings while helping with the rebuilding. And they did say she'd understand."

Squall's hand moved from covering his face to gently rubbing at his scar as he sighed, feelings of guilt still gnawing at him. "I still don't think it'd be right; she should be free to do what she wants, but…" He finally dropped his hand. "Look, it doesn't matter, anyway; we're all going to be heading back to Balamb soon, right? I'll just…make myself scarce until we're ready to leave."

"That won't do," Quistis said, stepping off the ramp to approach them as Zone followed. "Trabia Garden is big enough for the two of you. I'm sure you could find a way to be around each other without getting on each other's nerves; am I right, Rinoa?" she finished, turning to the raven-haired girl still at the bottom of the ramp.

"Y-Yeah…" Rinoa replied, staring longingly at her knight.

Squall rubbed more vigorously at his scar from a moment before dropping his hand to address the Kramers. "HM, Matron; I don't think it's my place to decide whether she gets to stay or not. If she wants to be here, then she's here. I'll..." He waved his hands around to distract himself from what he was about to say. "I'll just…deal with it."

"Thank you, Squall," Cid replied with a gentle smile. "I'm sure that-"

"Let's…just get the Ragnarok unloaded, okay?" Squall uncharacteristically interrupted, leaving the group to head to the spaceship's loading ramp. It was hard to miss the wide berth he gave Rinoa, who turned to follow him with her eyes as he ascended the ramp to enter the vessel's cargo hold.

"Come on, Rin," Quistis said, taking hold of the young sorceress' hand to lead her off the ramp and toward the Garden. "Abe, would you help Squall and the others with unloading?"

"Sure thing, Qui-Qui," he replied with a smile, causing the tall blonde to blush. His expression turned more solemn, however as he regarded his former Timber Owl compatriot. "Hey… It's gonna be okay," he told Rinoa as he laid a hand on her narrow shoulder. "You'll see."

"Thanks, Zone," she said, though the tears pooling in her eyes told him that she didn't – or couldn't – believe him.

* * *

"This is where Janna and I used to sit and talk about boys," Selphie told the group following her as she indicated a nearby short wall with a wave of her hand. "We talked about other things, of course," she giggled, "but with her it was mostly boys."

An appreciative chuckle rose from the groups of friends, both new and old.

"S'matter, J-Man?" Zell thumped the younger SeeD on the back; as was typical for Zell, he had befriended the gunslinger within minutes. "Got a question for our tour guide?"

The normally-stoic SeeD chuckled self-consciously as he cast a glance at Helsi, who smiled as she held his arm. "I'm…sorry, Chief; it's not something I'd normally think about, but…"

"What is it?" Selphie asked with her head tilted and an eager smile, her curiosity piqued.

"…I just…never thought of you as being interested in boys," he finished, his face nearly the color of his girlfriend's hair.

Quistis and Rinoa snorted as they exchanged an amused glance.

"Seriously, Jim?" Helsi said, whapping her man's arm. "You're going to say that to a legendary hero?"

Zell had a goofy smile on his face as he looked from Selphie to James. "What, you think she was a lezbo or something?"

"Zell!" Sally squeaked, covering her face with the hand not already holding his arm.

"I…I…" Selphie glanced over at Squall, who shrugged with an apologetic look.

"No, no!" James exclaimed, still beet-red. "I…" He took a couple of deep breaths. "I think it's like what Dawn just mentioned," he explained, gesturing to the girl on his arm. "All of you are legends to someone like me, so I never thought of you as having…well, normal, human emotions."

"Sure, that jives," Zell said, snapping his fingers. "It's like when we were kids, right Squall? Matron seemed so legendary that we never thought she'd have normal feelings and stuff, right?"

"True," Squall easily conceded.

Edea chuckled behind a hand as her husband smiled over at her.

"I do like boys!" Selphie huffed as she stamped her foot. "It's just…"

"It's cool, Sell-Bell," Zell said consolingly. "We know the deal."

"I…I'm sorry…" Barton said, looking genuinely apologetic. "I really didn't mean any harm. Did I hit a nerve?"

"Other than the lesbian implications?" Dawn said with a catty smile.

"We really should stop talking about this," Squall told the group, more forcefully than intended.

"No, it's okay," Selphie said, drawing everyone's attention again. "The truth is, part of the reason I came here was to get some time away from this guy who says he likes me but keeps hitting on other girls."

All of Balamb Garden's residents looked at each other, knowing exactly who she was talking about.

"Ouch," James and Dawn said sympathetically and nearly in unison.

"It's okay," Selphie sniffed, waving a hand. "I actually feel better talking about it, even if I do feel stupidly awkward about it. Squall's been a big help, too, helping me deal with my feelings."

Squall glanced over at Rinoa and shifted uncomfortably again as all eyes settled on him. "What? I didn't do anything; she needed to grieve, so I told her it was okay to grieve. She took care of it herself."

Rinoa looked over at Selphie, and her eyes widened and her heart sank at the smile she found on her friend's face; it was a smile she herself had had many times early on in her relationship with Squall.

* * *

Squall closed his eyes as he sunk into the plush second-row seating of the Ragnarok's cockpit; fortunately, most everyone else had moved to the conference room one floor down, leaving him alone with Zell and Sally.

"Hey, uh, buddy?"

Squall cracked his eyes open to find Zell half-turned in the copilot's seat, facing him while rubbing awkwardly at his facial tattoo. "What's up, Zell?"

"Yeah. I know you're needing some quiet time after the grand tour, but I was hoping you'd let me chew your ears for a bit."

Something in the martial artist's tone told Squall that something was bothering him. "Sure," he replied, adjusting his posture to sit up more fully. "You're the only one, though, right?"

"Yeah, it's just me; Sal Gal's here, of course, but…" Zell replied as he gestured to the pilot, who was busy flying the giant ship. "Anyway, thanks; I'll try not to be too long."

"What's up?"

"How do I say this…?" Zell murmured as he looked toward the ceiling; then, he pulled out his handheld communicator and tapped the screen a few times. "Do I have a signal…?"

"Can't you just tell me what's going on?"

"It'd be easier to just show you," Zell replied, still staring at the device in his hand. After another moment he handed it over to his friend. "This is the 'Balamb Guardian's' main page. Check it, but try not to wig out, okay?"

"Okay." Squall took the communicator with a puzzled look before scanning the page that Zell had called up. "Okay, now what…the…hell?!"

Front and center was a picture of him holding Selphie at the graveyard behind a ruined Trabia Garden. Above it were the words 'A NEW LOVE FOR COMMANDER LEONHART?'

"This showed up a few days after you left," Zell explained as said commander's eyes threatened to burn a hole in the handheld. "I thought you should know before we got back."

"Who the-? How did-?" In a matter of seconds, Squall had become furious beyond words. "Does Selphie know about this?" he demanded.

Zell blinked at his friend's question; he had expected that Squall would ask about Rinoa first. "Uh, not as far as I know," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Unless someone's already blabbed it to her."

"And Rinoa…" Squall's hand found his face as he felt a headache coming on. "I really hope she'll understand…"

"So what happened, dude?" the martial artist asked with honest curiosity in his eyes. "You know that Sal and I won't blab."

Squall handed back the communicator to rest his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. "You remember at the tour when Selphie said that I'd helped her with her feelings?"

"Yeah," Zell replied with a puzzled look before blinking into surprise. "Wait… Is this when you helped her?" he asked, pointing at the device's screen.

Squall said nothing, but nodded several times.

Zell stared at his friend for a moment before bolting from his chair to head toward the lift. "You have the bridge, Number One," he called back to his girlfriend.

"Aye, captain," Sally giggled, though the mirth in her tone had a heaviness to it.

Squall's head was still firmly buried in his hands when Zell returned a few minutes later with a pale Selphie…and and equally-pale Rinoa. "I, uh, ended up with the, uh…two-for-one deal, dude," Zell said apologetically.

Squall glanced up, only to sit up fully at the sight of his girl. "R-Rinoa…"

"I…saw the article a couple of days ago," she said, which served to further twist the knife in his gut. "Could…Could we…?"

"We'll talk after we get settled in back at Balamb Garden, I promise," Squall interrupted as politely as his nerves would allow.

"O-Okay."

"W-Well I'm going to talk about it now," Selphie declared as she sat in the seat across from Squall. "Rinoa, I'm so sorry; I understand how it looks, but that picture – I don't know how it ended up at Balamb Garden, or even who could have taken it… Anyway, that picture is from when Squall was comforting me while I grieved the deaths of my friends."

"Oh." Rinoa suddenly couldn't meet anyone's gaze. "I…I thought…"

Selphie hesitantly reached out to her raven-haired friend, resting a hand on her shoulder. "I…I understand. But it's not what you think, okay?"

"O-Okay..." Rinoa replied, though she still seemed uncertain.

"Coming up on Balamb Garden," Sally announced through the ship's PA system, sounding almost apologetic. "Please take your seats and prepare for landing."

"Damn, Meg; hearing your voice through the all-call is a real turn-on," Zell blurted before he could stop himself.

"Z-Zell!" the library girl squeaked. "I haven't turned the PA off yet!"

Selphie and Rinoa looked at each other, then started giggling. "Let's get back to the conference room, 'kay?" Selphie suggested. Rinoa nodded in response, and the pair made their way to the lift, disappearing to the lower deck a moment later.

"Thanks for the comic relief," Squall intoned as the girls disappeared from sight.

"No prob," the martial artist replied with an easy smile. "It's one of the many services I provide."

The distraught commander chuckled lightly before quickly sobering again. _So how am I supposed to talk to her after __this__?_


	9. The End

**Chapter Nine: The End**

Squall paused at the top of the Ragnarok's cargo ramp, closing his eyes and allowing himself to take in a deep breath of the fresh Balamb air. There was nothing wrong with Trabia's air, of course, but the familiar smells, as well as the familiar sight of Balamb Garden shining in the near distance, helped him to feel more like he was home…sort of. After all, he still had the situation with Rinoa to deal with. _And now she's got herself all worked up over the photo._ He understood the optics of it, but what he couldn't wrap his mind around was why she was still seemed to be stuck after having the whole thing explained to her twice over, by him and by Selphie. _Maybe she doesn't trust me anymore…?_

He couldn't think of anything he could have done to earn her distrust, though; everything seemed great after removing Ultimecia's threat, and the kiss during the celebration at Balamb Garden… He'd heard of married couples getting tired of each other over time, but he couldn't imagine that applying to their situation, not so relatively soon. _And then there's still the fact that she talks like a child…_ He grimaced as he descended the ramp. "Not like I have much room to talk," he added aloud, thinking back to his earlier self-pitying days.

"Didja say something, dawg?" Squall glanced over his shoulder to see Zell looking at him with his typical grin.

"Sorry," Squall sighed. "Just thinking out loud. Don't mind me."

He felt a gentle touch to his other shoulder and glanced that way to find Sally with an expression of compassion. "Everything will turn out all right, commander. Okay?"

"I hope you're right," Squall replied with another sigh. "Thanks."

She shrugged with a giggle as she fell back into step with her boyfriend.

The welcoming party wasn't huge, but there were several SeeDs and candidates standing in a square formation, waiting to greet their returning comrades.

"Group, atten-tion!" an authoritative voice called out, and Squall recognized it as belonging to Lieutenant Juneau, a SeeD whose promotion papers Squall had signed just before leaving for Trabia Garden. Juneau executed a perfect about-face to salute as Squall approached. "Sir! Those not in class or on assignment have gathered to welcome both you and Chief Tilmitt back to Balamb Garden, sir!"

"As you were, LT," Squall replied reflexively as he returned the salute. "It's good to see you all again, and thank you for the…for the welcome." He would have said 'warm welcome', but there was something about being in formation that made the greeting less personal.

"Thank you all for coming!" Selphie exclaimed, hopping on the balls of her feet as she waved, and it took some remarkable self-control on the part of many of those assembled to not break protocol to smile at her antics.

Squall noticed several twitching mouths, though. "LT; could you release them so they could start acting human again?"

"Yes, sir." Juneau executed another perfect about-face to address his subordinates. "Group, atten-tion! Dis-missed!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, some of them with hands going to chests as they were finally free to express their amusement. Nearly all of them crowded around Squall and Selphie as they, along with the others, made their way to the entrance to Garden.

"I'm pleased to report that Mister Nida was able to align the Garden with the surrounding structures once again," Juneau said as he fell into step with the commander.

"I'll bet he's pleased about that as well," Squall remarked as he ascended the steps that led to the school.

"Very much so, sir," the lieutenant chuckled.

"Wow, that is really good!" Selphie gushed as they stopped to examine the line where Balamb Garden began proper. "The repairs are really good, too; you almost can't tell that Garden had…it had…"

"I think we know what you mean," Squall chuckled as they continued on into the school.

"I should also inform you that most, if not all of us, have seen the, uh…photo…sir," Juneau said in a tone low enough to be lost in the noise but still enough for Squall to hear. "No one thinks ill of either of you, just…I just thought you should know."

"I appreciate that," Squall replied, his mood sinking again at the reminder. "The chief and I are aware of it, and will deal with any problems that may arise."

"Very good, sir."

The crowd started to disperse as it passed the cafeteria, many of them waving at Selphie as they disappeared down the hallway. "That was exhausting," Squall sighed heavily as he and Selphie headed to the hallway that led to the dorms. "How do you deal with so many people at once?"

"Well first off; I don't deal with them," Selphie replied with her trademark radiant smile. "I love people; it's like I get energy from them and they get energy from me."

"You're lucky; I end up feeling more drained than anything by them," he admitted.

"That's because we're different," Selphie told him with a giggle, "and there's nothing wrong with that. You're not a bad person for feeling drained by them."

"Thanks."

"Do I drain you?"

Squall glanced over at her, only to find that she'd stopped. "Do you drain me?" he half-echoed as he turned to face her.

"That's what I asked!" she chirped.

He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes as he thought. "Sort of…I think. Not as much as most."

She said nothing, but her large, green eyes blinked as she waited for him to continue.

"I don't know; maybe it's because we traveled together so much or something; it's like you drain, but you also…fill me up somehow," he finally concluded with a one-handed shrug.

"I'm glad to hear that!" she replied as they started on their way again, though she had to ignore a twinge in her chest. _What is this feeling…?_

Squall chuckled briefly before his expression grew more solemn. "Did, uh... Did you see Irvine when we arrived?"

She visibly deflated, almost as though someone had drained the life out of her. "No, he wasn't there."

"You looked?"

"Yeah…"

He sighed as they reached the point where they would have to separate to go to their own rooms. "I'm…really sorry…about that," Squall told her; he knew it wasn't his fault; he just didn't know what else to say. "Maybe you can find him once you've settled in and see how things are going."

"Maybe…" she replied as she gently nibbled on her lower lip.

Even Squall could see the effect on his normally-perky friend. "I'm sorry, Selphie; I didn't mean to bring the mood down." He pushed his lips to one side as he tried to think of what to say. "I just… I'd just like for you to be able to smile all the time, like you did when we first met."

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly at his words. "Squall…" she breathed as she started to feel a pressure behind her eyes.

His eyes widened as well, only in his case it was at the sight of her oncoming tears. "Wh-What is it? Did I say something wrong?"

"N-No, no!" she cried, waving a hand in front of her face as though trying to fan away the tears. "I just…I'm so happy!" Before he could get out another word, she turned and ran down the hall toward her room.

That left Squall standing alone in the hallway, blinking stupidly. "I'll never understand women," he muttered before heading to his own room.

* * *

Rinoa sat on the bed in her quarters, focusing on her breathing as she tried to calm herself down after the events of the day. She had heard the explanations, both of which seemed plausible, but she couldn't convince herself that there wasn't something else.

She had managed to work herself up into an impressive lather when the door to her room chirped, announcing the presence of a visitor, and she knew exactly who it would be. "Coming…" she called as she hurried to the door.

On the other side stood Squall, with what had become his typical guarded expression when it came to her. "Um, hi."

"Hi…" she greeted, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Do…you want to find someplace more neutral to talk?" he offered, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "I've felt pretty bad about bringing stress into where you sleep."

"It doesn't matter," she chuckled sadly as she stepped aside to allow him entrance. "I'd just bring it back in here myself."

"I see…" he replied as he cautiously entered her quarters. "Sorry."

She directed her gaze to his, misery in her eyes. "Squall, what's happening to us? I thought we were so happy together. Why are you so distant again? Is it something I've said, something I've done?"

He sighed as he looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "I… I don't know." How could he try to explain his feelings when they always seemed to upset her or otherwise set her off? "All I know is that I'm tired. I'm tired of the fighting, the hurt feelings, and all that."

"You weren't able to think of anything while you were at…?" She trailed off at the memory of the photo. "Never mind; I guess you did figure something out."

The whimper in her tone raised nearly all of Squall's red flags. "What do you mean? Sorry, I mean; what are you saying I figured out?"

She turned watery eyes on her knight. "That Selphie's a better girl for you than I am."

Squall blinked with confusion written on his face. "How do you figure that?"

Rinoa gestured helplessly toward her workstation; even though it didn't have the Guardian's main page up, Squall knew to what she was referring. "Look at the way you two are holding each other," she sniffed in a surprising non-accusatory tone. "You and I used to be like that, but…" She stamped her foot in frustration as she heaved a sob. "It's different, S-Squall! You held me like you were guarding my body, but you hold her like you're guarding…" She waved her hand in front of her face several times as she tried to stop – or, at least, slow – the flow of tears. "…like you're guarding her heart."

"Well I was, at the time," Squall admitted while trying to not get caught in her emotional storm. "But that was just that one time." He sighed again, feeling some of the pain he could see clearly in her eyes. "Look, I can't make you believe anything; if you want to believe that there's something going on between me and Selphie, there's really not much I can do to change that, other than tell you what I understand to be true."

"Then…Then you really do think it's me," she said, trembling but not yet crying. "Y-You've said it yourself; I talk like a child because I called you 'Meanie' a long time ago."

She was partly right; at first it was her name-calling and clinginess, but the truth was that he still thought she talked like a child due to what he saw as her tendency to misjudge people, him in particular.

"And n-now you're th-thinking that I'm crying to m-manipulate you into s-saying you're s-sorry," she blubbered. "Or th-that I'm using my S-Sorceress p-powers to mess with your heart."

"Rinoa, that's…" _What am I supposed to say? 'That's not true'? That'll just make her more upset!_ Squall felt like he was in a no-win situation.

"L-Look, Squall… I'll m…m…m-make it easy on y-you…" she whimpered, squeezing her hands together so tightly that her knuckles turned white; a couple of them even popped. "I…I release you."

"Huh?'

"I…I just ask that…that…you be my knight…" she managed before crumbling into silent tears.

"Waitaminute…" Squall held up a hand, hoping to slow down the conversation. "Are…Are you breaking up with me?"

Rinoa couldn't speak, having started crying fully, but she managed to nod clearly.

Squall licked his suddenly-dry lips as he felt relief and despair at the same time; it was an odd feeling. "I… I don't know what to say…"

"G-Goodbye for now…" she shuddered, turning her back to him to bury her face in her hands as her shoulders shook.

Squall stared at the angel wings on the back of the outfit she wore nearly every day, and finally fully understood: It was over.


	10. Café-teary-a

**Chapter Ten: Café-teary-a**

"There!" Selphie chirped as she put away the last of her belongings. She then clapped her hands to dust them as she turned to survey the many boxes that now littered her quarters. "Maybe I should have packed lighter," she giggled, her usual disposition having returned somewhat. After deciding to deal with the mess later, she skipped out of her room with the intent of grabbing a bite to eat.

She came across Quistis and Zone at the side of the hallway leading to the cafeteria. "Hello, Selphie," the tall blonde greeted as the former Timber Owl simply lifted a hand. "Heading in to eat, or just to socialize?"

"Hey, you two!" Selphie chirped as she joined them. "Eating, this time. What about you?"

"We were just on our way there ourselves," Zone replied, then gestured to his feet. "Had to stop 'cause something had gotten in my shoe."

"Cool!" the petite brunette chirped again. "Well, not about the shoe problem, I mean. Could I join you?"

"We'd love to have you," Quistis replied, then looked over to her man. "If you're okay with it, of course."

"Of course I am!" Zone beamed. "The chief and I go way back!" As the three of them continued down the hall he looked across to Selphie. "Quistis and I were just talking about the party at Trabia Garden."

"It's this Saturday, isn't it?" Quistis asked.

"Friday, actually," Selphie corrected with an excited giggle. "It'll go through Sunday."

"That's a long party," Quistis remarked with a throaty chuckle, and Selphie grinned as she noticed that Zone's ears pinked at nearly the same time.

"The party's not going to be going twenty-four-seven," Selphie giggled as they passed through the entryway into the cafeteria. "It'll be from about ten to eight each day; the cooks are going to need a break, after all."

"After this, I'm sure they will," Quistis quipped with another chuckle, pinking her man's ears again.

Selphie smiled at the sight as she followed them to the line specifically for the staff and faculty, as well as the heroes of the Second Sorceress War. At first, Zone had been concerned about keeping Quistis waiting while he used the regular line until she'd informed him that each of the staff, faculty, and heroes could bring one guest through the line with them.

Selphie received her meal and then followed her friends again as they looked for a place to sit; fortunately most of the cafeteria was empty, save for a large group of girls near the far wall. "Huh?"

"Something wrong?" Zone asked as he followed her line of sight to… "Oh, man…"

"I wouldn't be the least bit surprised," Quistis remarked before heading over to the group while mentally preparing to lay down a righteous scolding.

Sure enough, Irvine was in the center of the mass of femininity. "Hey, Qui-Qui! Hey Zone!" he greeted, lifting an arm from a redhead's shoulders to wave; understandably, he couldn't see the short brunette mostly-hidden behind the taller blonde.

"Hello, Irvine," Quistis replied briskly. "Weren't you going to welcome Squall and Selphie back from their trip?"

The sharpshooter's eyes grew wide, and he looked over at the digital clock on the wall of the eatery. "They're here already?"

"They came back with us," she replied dryly.

"Aw, it's probably just as well," he said, waving his hand before laying his arm back across the giggling redhead's shoulders. "I'd probably end up upsetting her anyway."

"It's entirely possible," Selphie replied quietly as she stepped out from behind her taller friend, her tray slightly shaking in her hands.

"Oh! Uh, hey Selphie," Irvine greeted while subtly trying to remove his hands and arms from the girls immediately around him. "Glad to see ya back! Didja have a safe trip?"

"Oh, good grief…" Quistis sighed as one of Zone's hands made its way to his stomach.

"Seriously, Irvine?" Selphie said, already starting to tremble. "You think I can't see what you're doing?"

"Selphie, I can explain…" Irvine said as smoothly as he could while he got to his feet.

"I…I'm sure you could…" she stammered, her voice trembling, and some of the members of Irvine's 'harem' started looking at each other with concerned expressions. "You've had enough practice, after all…"

"Ouch," Zone winced, only partly due to the mild discomfort in his gut. "Good one, Selphie."

"Not now, Abe," Quistis said in a mildly scolding tone, though the slight smile she gave him communicated her agreement.

During their brief exchange, Irvine had somehow made it out of the obstacle course of women to stand before the petite brunette. "Now, you don't need to worry about them," he told her quietly while gesturing to the group. "You know you're the only one for me."

"Really?" she breathed, her voice filled with wonder.

"Of cooooourse," he replied smoothly while giving her one of his lady-killer smiles.

"I see…" Selphie considered his words, and then leaned to the side to look past him to the group of girls. "How many of you are 'the only one for me'?"

The girls looked at each other before several hands timidly went up.

"I see…" Selphie repeated, her voice becoming thinner.

"I swear, Irvine: I oughtta bust you right in the mouth," Zone growled as he continued to hold his stomach. "Ow…"

"I'm sorry, Qui, Zone…" Selphie choked, her composure rapidly disintegrating. "I have to go. I have to-"

"We understand," Quistis said gently as she laid a hand on the shorter girl's head. "Abe and I will find you later."

Selphie nodded once, unable to take her eyes off of Irvine until she abruptly spun and hurried back to the counter to leave her untouched meal with the staff. She then bolted for the door, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as she ran.

For their part, Quistis and Zone glared daggers at the sharpshooter as they turned to head back to the counter and leave their meals with the staff as well. Then they left the cafeteria to find their distressed friend.

"W-Well, ladies," Irvine crooned, trying to regain his composure as the girls looked at each other again. "Where were we?"

"Heading back to our room, you big jerk!" one of the girls, a blonde SeeD, snapped as she got up and started to collect her things. "And you can expect the HM to hear about this!"

Many of the other girls voiced agreement as they, too, got up and started toward the door. Eventually the only one left was a short redhead wearing the candidate uniform. "I guess it's just you and me, cutie," he managed as the girl walked up to him. "Maybe the two of us can-URK!"

"I was looking forward to 'private tutoring'!" she cried, withdrawing her foot after having stomped on one of his. "I thought I was special!" With that she stormed off, leaving the hopping sharpshooter to fall into a chair, rubbing his sore foot.

He leaned back in his seat and laid his throbbing foot on the seat of the chair in front of him, and covered his face with his hat. "What did I do to deserve this?"

* * *

The door slid open and Squall slowly entered his quarters. He numbly made his way over to his bed to sit. That didn't do anything, so he pivoted to lie down. That still didn't do anything, so he got up and started pacing. That also didn't do anything, but he caught sight of his gunblade case leaning against the wall. He quickly laid the case on his bed to open it and retrieve the Lionheart from within. He double-checked the blade for any damage and checked the revolver for any blockages before heading out the door and to the Training Center to do something.

* * *

The door slid open and Selphie hurried into her quarters, her eyes a runny mess. She plopped down in front of her computer to read something, anything to distract her from the pain. That didn't do anything, so she headed over to her bed and sat with her legs folded under her as she cried. That also didn't do anything, so she grabbed her towel and headed for the washroom with the intent to take a shower. On her way, though, she caught sight of her nunchaku case leaning up against her desk. She quickly laid the case on her bed to open it and retrieve the Strange Vision from within. She double-checked the handles for any unusual damage before heading out the door and to the Training Center to do something.

* * *

SeeDs and candidates plastered themselves against the walls of the hallway at the sight of the Unified Garden commander, with Lionheart in hand and a look of intensity in his eyes. He barely acknowledged their greetings as he entered the Training Center proper, and headed to the left-hand doors with the intent of warming up on some Grats before heading over to the other side of the center to work out his frustrations on some unfortunate T-Rexsaurs; he had a lot of nervous energy and needed to get it out.

As was his usual, he gave his gunblade a couple of warm-up swings as a pair of Grats approached before settling into his combat stance. Several dozen Grats later, he heard the sound of a T-Rexsaur roaring on the other side of the center and decided that he was ready to head over and silence it.

As he approached the other side, however, his blood chilled at the sound of a roar unlike any he'd heard before, causing him to grip the Lionheart more tightly than usual. He raised his gunblade as a pair of T-Rexsaurs charged toward him, then froze in mute surprise as they ran past him, somehow disappearing into the thick foliage behind him. Whatever the creature was had to have been fearsome, powerful…

…and teary-eyed, angry, and wearing a dusty-gold overall dress. "Selphie…?" Squall's weapon lowered on its own as he took in the sight of his distraught friend.

"Where'd they go?" she half-snarled, half-sobbed. "There were three of them, but two of them ran when I took out their buddy. I want them!"

"They went that way," Squall replied, pointing to the damaged plants behind him. "But more importantly; are you okay?"

"DO I LOOK LIKE I'M OKAY?!" she snapped as she viciously wiped her face with her forearm; not that it did any good, as the tears kept coming.

"I-I'm sorry…" Squall managed as studied her for a moment, unsure what – if anything – he could do for the hysterical girl. "Do…? Would…?" He struggled, trying to find the right words. Finally, he sighed. "Selphie, please tell me what happened."

She lifted her teary gaze to her friend's face, and he realized that she must have been wearing some kind of eye makeup, because it was running down her face along with her tears. "O…Okay…"

He held out his hand toward her weapon, which she reluctantly relinquished, and he led her by the hand to the boulder pile near the center of the area; the chances of being attacked there were pretty slim, and since most of the local population was at lunch no one would likely be training and possibly interrupting them. "So, what happened?" he asked as gently as he could.

She needed a couple of deep breaths before she could speak again. "Well, you know that I-Irvine wasn't there to greet us, right?"

"Yeah."

"W-Well, I unpacked and headed to the cafeteria to get some lunch and met up with Quistis and Zone on the way."

"Okay…" he prompted carefully, feeling way out of his element.

"When we got our food and started to look for a spot…" She took another deep breath and let it out slowly. "…he was there with probably half the female population of Garden."

"Oh, good grief…" Squall muttered, burying his face in a hand, then popped back up at the sound of a giggle from his friend. "What?"

"That's exactly what Quistis said when she and Zone found him," she giggled, her delicate nose wrinkling with the effort. "How cute."

"Thanks," Squall huffed, unsure if she was complimenting him or not. "Well, at least it got a laugh out of you; I'm glad I could do that much."

She giggled again before her expression darkened once more. "But the thing that bothered me the most was finding out that he'd been telling a bunch of girls that they were the only one for him."

"Huh?"

In spite of her distress, the petite girl managed to smile patiently at him. "It means a lot to a girl to be told that they're special, especially by a handsome man," she explained. "Or someone the girl really likes."

"And he was telling these girls that they were all… No, that they were each special to him?" Squall asked, a light blinking on in his head.

She nodded with a sad smile. "Yeah… Including me."

"And when everyone's special…" Squall murmured, remembering a quote from a movie, his vision reddening as he started to fully realize what had happened. "That's… That's wrong!" he shouted as he shot to his feet. "He shouldn't- How dare-?"

"Squall…?" Selphie was starting to worry about her friend's sudden inability to finish a sentence.

He looked down at her, and she shrank back at the anger and the pain she saw in his eyes. "Wait here," he ordered. "I'm going to have a…a 'talk' with Mr. Kinneas." With that, he hopped down from the boulder and started to storm off…only to quickly head back to where she sat. "Do you need help getting down from there before I go?" he offered as he raised his hands toward her.

The whole scene seemed so surreal that she almost laughed. "I'll be fine, thank you."

He said nothing but nodded once before spinning on his heel and heading out of the Training Center. As he left, she watched him with an amused smile before it faded at the realization that he still had his gunblade strapped on. Fearing that the 'talk' would end up involving weapons, she quickly grabbed up her nunchaku before hopping down herself and sprinting from the Training Center.


	11. Defender

**Chapter Eleven: Defender**

Quistis hurried out of the hallway leading to the dorms, looking left and right as she entered the central ring in her search for her petite friend. As she checked to her left once again she saw a familiar figure running down the circular walkway in her direction. "Squall?" she called as she hurried to match his breakneck pace. "Do you know where Selphie is?"

"Training Center, central rocks," he replied briskly, though not rudely. "Excuse me; I need to find Kinneas."

Her pace slowed, and she watched her former student as he rounded the corner to head down the open-air hallway that led to the cafeteria. "He referred to him as 'Kinneas'…" she murmured thoughtfully.

Just then, Zone jogged up, out-of-breath. "I can't find her. The only place I haven't looked is the Training Center – for obvious reasons, I hope. Anyway, she's got to be there!"

"She-"

"Quistis!" Selphie called, and the young couple turned as one to see her running from the entrance to the Training Center hallway. "Hurry! I'm worried that Squall's gonna do something stupid!"

"Let's go!" Zone tapped his girl on the back before breaking into a run toward the cafeteria hallway…only to have the girls leave him behind as he had to slow down, not having quite caught his breath yet.

* * *

Squall slammed through the doors into the cafeteria; he still hadn't quite adjusted to his increased strength, so he'd occasionally forget to regulate himself… Like when he was angry at a particular sharpshooter for mistreating his friend. "Kinneas!"

"Heya, boss," Irvine greeted with a touch of his index finger to his hat, still reclining in his seat as Squall strode up to him. "What's u-HUUUUUUP!" He suddenly found himself lifted not just from his chair, but completely off the floor, the toes of his boots barely scratching the linoleum; a remarkable feat, considering his two- to three-inch height advantage over the commander. "Hyne's holy hand grenade!"

"Just who do you think you are?" Squall demanded as he held up the ladies' man by the collar of his overcoat.

"I-Irvine Kinneas…" the rifleman gasped as he hovered just above the floor to the eatery. "SeeD Number-"

"That's not what I'm talking about, and I think you know it!" Squall snapped as he shook the younger man, finally releasing him to stand on his own, though it took a few staggering steps for the rifleman to recover. "I'm talking about Selphie!"

"What's there to talk about?!" Irvine snapped as he straightened his coat. "I was enjoying the company of some female friends, and she comes in and makes a big deal out of it!"

"Makes a…?!" Squall could hardly believe his ears. "You can't see how she might have a problem with you saying…" He sighed in exasperation as he tried to find the right words. "…'lovey-dovey' things to other girls?"

"Oh, like you know anything about relationships with girls, Mr. Stoic," Irvine replied with a cocky grin. "How have things been going with Rinoa, by the way?"

Squall felt an itch in his clenched fist, but he resisted the urge to scratch it on the other man's face. "We broke up about an hour and a half ago."

"Huh?" The cocky grin faded from the sharpshooter's face. "Oh. Hey, I, uh…didn't know about that. Sorry, man."

"Thanks."

"But doesn't that just prove my point?" Irvine asserted. "You…You can't even hold on to one woman, and you want to come in here and tell me how to take care of all of mine?"

Squall's fist itched again. "This is not about me, Kinneas! This is about Selphie, and how you've treated her! Or mistreated her!"

"What are you doing?!" a voice wailed, and both men looked to see Selphie hurrying toward them, Quistis and Zone right behind her. "Please don't fight!"

"Aw, we're not fightin'," Irvine said, giving his smoothest voice another go. "We're just talk…ing…?"

What caused him to trail off was Selphie; instead of running up to him as he expected, she ran up to Squall and threw her arms around him. "Please don't fight each other!"

Squall managed to take a half-step back, unsure of how to respond to her behavior. "We…weren't fighting, Selphie; I was just…yelling at him."

"And picking me up off the floor by my coat," Irvine added, giving Squall a sly grin as he crossed his arms.

"Did someone say 'fight'?" came a hopeful-sounding voice, and both men looked to see Zell emerging from a small crowd that had somehow gathered without anyone noticing.

Right behind him was Xu with a look of disbelief. "Commander! Chief! What's going on here?"

"Aw, Xu; everything's fine," Irvine drawled as he raised his hand in a placating motion, only to be surprised to find it in a fist. "Um, yeah; we're good."

The quartermaster crossed her arms as she glared at the two. "Commander, HM asked me to find you; he wanted to speak with you, but…" she uncrossed one arm to gesture at the pair. "Squall, you're supposed to set an ex-"

"Ayayayayaya…" Zell interrupted, waving his hands in an attempt to stop her. "Not here, cool? Not with all the juniors around."

She surveyed the room, taking in all of the curious expressions, and relented. "Commander, HM has requested a meeting with you and Chief Tilmitt." She leveled her gaze at Irvine. "Chief Kinneas; please come with us as well."

"Yes, ma'am," Irvine replied while touching a fingertip to his hat, and he followed Squall and Selphie as they followed Xu out of the cafeteria.

* * *

Headmaster Kramer looked over his glasses at the Commander of the Unified Gardens and the Head of Ranged Combat as they squirmed at attention on the other side of his desk. Selphie and Quistis sat in chairs on either side of the two men. "Squall, I initially called you in the hopes that we could talk about your trip to Trabia Garden, but now I hear that you're fighting in our cafeteria, our home?"

"It wasn't exactly a fight, sir, though I understand how it could look that way," Squall said, maintaining his posture even as his expression softened to something more apologetic.

"Explain," Cid ordered as he rose from his seat to move to the front of his desk.

"He just picked me up and put me back down again," Irvine explained, fighting back another sly grin. "That's all."

"Mr. Kinneas, I don't recall asking you," Cid declared, shifting his disapproving gaze to the sharpshooter. "But now that you mention it; why did our commander feel the need to pick you up in the first place?"

Irvine cursed under his breath. "He was pretty pissed off about the way I treated the Chief of Intelligence…sir."

Cid glanced at Selphie before redirecting his gaze back to Squall. "Report, commander."

Squall swallowed at the order; he was very uncomfortable discussing personal issues, even if they were partly personnel issues. "I…" He blinked several times, trying to keep his composure. "Sir, I…"

"I'm sorry HM, but I have to jump in!" Selphie said, hopping to her feet. "I understand that I could be disciplined for jumping in like this, but Squall was defending me!"

"How?" Cid asked, his curiosity piqued.

She cautiously glanced over at Irvine before proceeding. "Well…I was in a lot of pain, sir. Irvine didn't show up to welcome us back, and then Quistis and Abe and I found him in the…" She briefly covered her mouth with her hand, her face reddening and her eyes tearing up as the memories tried to return before she slapped her cheek a couple of times to snap herself out of it. "…he was in the cafeteria with a bunch of female SeeDs and candidates."

"I see…" the headmaster mused, then looked over to the sharpshooter. "Did we not have a discussion about this within the last week, Irvine? Did I not warn you that something like this could happen?"

"Yes, sir… I mean, no, sir," Irvine blinked several times, having trouble with the phrasing of the questions. "We did talk, and you did warn me, sir."

Cid crossed his arms as he leaned back against his desk. "So, what am I supposed to do? As commander of the Gardens, Squall should not have conducted himself the way he did, but he did it to defend the honor of a young woman, not to mention a friend."

"I really am sorry, HM," Squall said. "I'd just never felt so…so angry before. Not like that, at least."

Selphie looked up at her friend with an expression of awed surprise as he continued to fidget at attention. Quistis noticed the other women's expression and tried to hide a smile behind her hand, though she failed to hide the twinkle in her eye.

Cid studied the group for a moment before pointing at Irvine. "You are going to apologize to Chief Tilmitt for not treating her with the respect I think you know you should have, but you will not do it until you fully understand why you are apologizing. Am I clear, son?"

"Perfectly, sir."

"Dismissed."

Irvine blinked in surprise, then looked around awkwardly at the others before saluting and making his way to the door.

Cid watched him leave, waiting until the door closed before turning to the former instructor. "Quistis, I'd like to speak with these two alone, please," he requested while giving her a meaningful look.

"Of course," she replied, glancing over at the other two as she got up from her seat. "Should I wait outside, or am I released?"

"You're free to go," he replied with a smile and a wink. "And I'm sorry for taking away from your time with Abraham."

"Thank you, but it's okay," she chuckled as she headed to the door. "See you later, sir."

Cid gave a friendly wave as she passed through the doorway before refocusing his attention on the commander before him. "And as for you…" he said, wagging his finger at Squall.

"I'm really sorry, sir," Squall said. "What can I do to make this right?"

"First, have a seat," Cid offered, gesturing to the newly-vacated seat. "Let's talk."

Squall blinked in surprise before heading over and cautiously lowering himself into the plush, high-backed chair. "Thank you, sir."

Cid smiled down at the young man before making his way back to his seat and settling into it. "I must admit, Squall, I've been dying to know; how did you two repair Trabia Garden so quickly? The last time I saw it, it was…" He trailed off as he remembered that the Trabian transfer student was still in the room. "Anyway, what happened?"

The two junior leaders exchanged a glance before Selphie motioned to Squall, who then spoke. "Headmaster Winn found a hatch inside his makeshift office and asked us to explore it. We found a set of consoles, one of which controlled maintenance." He shrugged. "We – well I, really – thought it would just control some kind of cleaning robots or something like that."

"I take it that it didn't?" Cid asked, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his desk, his face a mask of excited interest.

Squall shook his head. "I didn't see it myself, but according to everyone else there, the Garden somehow rebuilt the ring and then used it and the debris around it to rebuild the Garden."

The headmaster sighed, a smile crossing his face as his eyes lost focus. "When we built that Garden over the shelter, we had no idea…" He looked over to the Head of Intelligence. "Selphie, I can't tell you how happy I am to see your Garden restored. I know it doesn't bring back those who were lost, but…" He raised his hands in a shrug. "At least it gives those who are left some hope and a chance to move forward."

"Thank you, sir," she replied in a thin voice as she started to fan a hand in front of her face again. "Sorry; thinking about it is making me emotional again."

"That's quite all right, dear," Cid said kindly. "Being a SeeD doesn't mean being without emotion."

"It's just that I held on to the pain for so long," she explained as she pulled out a tissue to dab at her eyes. "But Squall has helped me so much in dealing with it."

"Indeed?" Cid said with the lift of a bushy eyebrow.

"I really…didn't do much…" Squall insisted.

"I really wish you'd stop saying stuff like that," she huffed as she waved a hand in his direction. "If you hadn't done what you did, I'd still be hiding behind a lie. A smiling lie."

"Whatever," Squall scoffed, crossing his arms as he looked away.

Cid rested his chin on his folded hands and studied the grateful smile on Selphie's face as well as the awkward scowl on Squall's and came to a decision. "My understanding is that Trabia Garden will be showing several movies as part of their restoration party."

Both Squall and Selphie looked at the headmaster with varying expressions of confusion. "That's right," Selphie confirmed.

"With all due respect, though; what does that have to do with this?" Squall asked.

Cid gave them a gentle smile as he rose to his feet again. "I'd like the two of you to pick one of the movies and see it together."

"S-Sir?" Squall stammered, certain that he'd heard incorrectly.

"A m-movie…?" Selphie stammered as well, glancing over at Squall repeatedly. "Wh-Why?"

"You two have been through a lot recently. You were supposed to have a relatively relaxing week helping with Trabia Garden but ended up with even more drama, not to mention this new drama with Irvine," he replied in as careful a tone as he could muster. "With what you've been through, you need the opportunity to let your hair down, as the saying goes."

"Is this an order, sir?" Squall asked apprehensively.

Cid chuckled quietly, his eyes crinkling as he smiled fondly at the young man. "No, son, it's not an order. Consider it a...recommendation. You're both probably wound pretty tight right now, and since you two have been getting on quite well lately, I believe that you could do something together without having to worry about getting on each other's nerves."

"That's true," Squall grunted thoughtfully, drawing another look of surprise from Selphie. He then looked over at her. "What do you think?"

"I'd…have to think about it," she replied as excitement welled up in her chest. "Could…we talk about it later?"

"That's fine," Squall conceded easily. "You know how to contact me."

"Well, now that that's settled, get out of my office," Cid ordered with good humor in his tone as he made a 'shooing' motion toward the youth. "I've got work to do."

Selphie giggled as she saluted, while Squall was his typical serious self. "Have a good day, sir," he said in farewell as he followed the skipping brunette out of the office.

The headmaster gave a smile and a wave, but as the door closed his smile faded, and he lowered himself into one of the guest chairs and leaned back to stare at the ceiling. "Now to find happiness for poor Rinoa…"


	12. Therapeutic Nightmare

**Chapter Twelve: Therapeutic Nightmare**

The young sorceress once again found herself wandering aimlessly along the second-floor ring of Balamb Garden, one arm crossed to hold the elbow of the other. She had just broken off her relationship with Squall; though he would still be her knight, he would no longer be her lover. With the way they'd been fighting, ending their romantic relationship was the only way she could see an end to all of their conflict. She still loved him dearly and believed that he loved her as well, but she couldn't see any future with the young commander.

She halfheartedly returned a wave from a trio of giggling female students heading the other direction before returning her arm to its half-hugging position. She was convinced more than ever that the main reason she was allowed to stay at Balamb Garden was so the SeeDs there could keep track of her…and eliminate her should she become a threat. The thought had her leaning heavily against the wall near one of the classroom doors; maybe it would be best if she-

"Hey… Are you okay?"

Rinoa looked toward the source of the concerned voice and found herself looking into the library girl's worried expression. "I feel sick…" she admitted in a voice heavy with sadness.

"Then you should see Dr. Kadowaki," Sally replied as she held out her hand. "Can you walk, or do you need to lean on me?"

Rinoa managed a giggle; even though she wasn't very heavy, she couldn't see how such a little thing like Zell's girlfriend would be able to support her. "I can walk, thank you."

Sally eyed the young sorceress warily, and for a moment Rinoa thought that the girl was about to attack her. "Okay," Sally finally said, "But I'm going to make sure you get there safely."

Rinoa breathed a sigh of relief mixed with shame; even if it was for a moment, she truly believed that the girlfriend of one of her dear friends was actually going to harm her. "But it was all in my head…" she murmured as they started down the hallway with the intent of catching the elevator.

"I'm sorry?"

Rinoa looked over at the young candidate's worried expression again and smiled softly. "I'm okay; I was just thinking out loud."

"Oh, okay," Sally replied with a smile of her own.

As they continued, Rinoa remembered something she'd been told about Balamb Garden's doctor; not only was she able to treat wounds and the like, she could also help students with their problems – another kind of wound, Rinoa supposed. "Miss Sally, do you think Doctor Kadowaki would be willing to talk with me if I had a problem?"

Even though it had happened only just recently, Sally already knew about the change in the relationship between the sorceress and her knight. "I think she'd love to help you if she could, Miss Rinoa," she replied with a look of compassion as well as understanding.

Rinoa nodded thoughtfully as she walked alongside her friend's beloved all the way to the infirmary. Once there, Sally had her wait while she checked on the availability of the good doctor. As she waited, Rinoa shifted anxiously from foot to foot; while part of her was hoping that Dr. Kadowaki would be able to tell her how to get back on good terms with Squall, another part of her believed that their romance was a lost cause.

"She said she'll be with you in just a minute," Sally announced as she emerged from a back room. "She's just finishing up with a patient."

"Thank you."

"I'd like to wait with you, if that's okay," Sally offered. "I'm not needed for anything right now, and… Well, I'd feel bad just leaving you like this."

"I'll be fine, thanks," Rinoa replied with a smile tinged with sadness. "You told me she'd be out in a minute; I can hold out that long."

"Okay." Sally turned to leave, only to quickly turn back. "Listen, Miss Rinoa; I know we don't know each other that well, but…" She briefly nibbled on her lower lip before taking the other woman's hands. "If you need anyone to talk to, I'm here for you, okay?"

"Are you sure?"

"Any friend of Zell's is a friend of mine," she declared with a friendly, genuine smile.

Those words echoed in the sorceress' head as the SeeD candidate headed down the hallway back into the main part of Garden. _Do I have more friends than I've thought?_

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," a kind voice announced, and Rinoa blinked out of her reverie to find Dr. Kadowaki heading out of the back room, the same one that Sally had emerged from minutes prior. "I was treating a pretty bad training accident."

"It's o…kay…" Rinoa trailed off as Doctor Kadowaki removed her white coat, which had several spots of blood on it of various sizes, and carefully dropped it into a nearby bin. "Is he – or she – going to be okay?"

The doctor flashed a gentle smile as she took a clean coat from her closet and started to put it on. "She'll be fine, dearie; it's not as bad as my coat apparently looked."

"That's a relief," Rinoa sighed.

"Have a seat," Dr. Kadowaki offered, gesturing to a chair in front of her desk as she settled in behind it. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Well…" Rinoa started, "…Candidate Sally…er, Miss Regal…er…"

"Easy there, girlie," Kadowaki said in a reassuring voice. "Just call 'em whatever you're comfortable with. Civilians aren't expected to follow Garden protocol, and I should be able to figure out who you're talking about," she finished with a wink. "So, what about our little library girl?"

Rinoa giggled at the nickname. "She told me that if I had a problem that you'd be willing to help me."

"That is true," Kadowaki confirmed. "I normally provide that service to Garden staff, faculty, and students, but since you're close with everyone I can make an exception in your case."

"Not anymore…" the young woman replied, her eyes losing focus.

"Are you referring to your breakup with Squall?"

Rinoa's wide-eyed gaze snapped to the older woman's. "H-How did you know, ma'am?"

The doctor gave her a mysterious smile. "Young lady, it's my job to know." Her smile then turned more genuine. "Seriously, everyone at Garden is like family, so word gets around pretty quickly. Don't worry, though; to my knowledge, no one thinks ill of you over this. Either of you."

"That's a relief," Rinoa breathed.

Kadowaki kept a neutral yet compassionate expression as she folded her hands, resting her forearms on her desk; since the proverbial cat had been let out of the bag, all that was left was for Rinoa to talk.

"I don't know what happened, doctor; Squall and I got along so well after the battle with Ultimecia," she started. "He even kissed me at the celebration afterward. How could love grow so cold so quickly?"

"The only times I've ever heard of that is when the love wasn't strong or wasn't there to begin with," Kadowaki replied quietly, glancing briefly at her client.

"But that's impossible!" Rinoa exclaimed, tears starting to form. "He rescued me from space! He helped with all our Timber Owl missions!"

"You also used him while looking for Headmaster Cid, you abused your authority as our client, and you questioned his authority in front of his subordinates," Kadowaki countered. "Do those sound like the behaviors of a loving person?"

"But-!" Rinoa panicked, scrambling for some kind of comeback. "I saved him from the…the void or whatever it was!"

"That you did," Kadowaki acknowledged, "but, like anyone else, Squall's going to take you as a whole person – not just one circumstance – so my question stands; do those sound like the behaviors of a loving person?"

"We were desperate, okay?" the young woman snapped. "I did some things that I'm not proud of, but I meant well!" She turned angry eyes on the physician. "Is this how you help everyone here? By bullying them?"

"I ask a lot of questions, to help those who come to me to think about their situations," the doctor replied. "I regret if my questions are upsetting to you."

"'Upsetting' doesn't even begin to describe it," Rinoa huffed as she crossed her arms, glare still in place. "What do you know, anyway? I had his ring!"

"And how did you get it?" Kadowaki asked, her expression remarkably neutral in light of the tantrum playing out before her. "Did he give it to you?"

"Well, no…"

"Then how did you get it?"

Rinoa squirmed in her seat; she had a pretty good idea of where the doctor was going with her line of questioning. "I…I got Zell to get it for me…so he could make a copy…"

"So, if I understand you correctly; you effectively went behind Squall's back to get his ring," Kadowaki concluded. "Would that be an accurate assessment?"

"No!" the young sorceress yelled, shooting up from her seat. "I mean, I didn't ask Squall directly, but… I wanted a copy of his ring!"

"Listen to yourself, sweetie," the doctor said as gently as she could in spite of her fading patience. "'I want'…'I meant well'…" She gestured toward her client. "All I've been hearing about is what Rinoa wants; what about what Rinoa gives?"

Unfortunately, the young sorceress had heard enough, and with a wave of her hand silenced the Garden doctor, paralyzing her vocal cords. "You listen to yourself!" Rinoa shouted at the wide-eyed and mute physician. "You sit there and judge me like you know everything! Well, Dad didn't understand me and Squall didn't understand me! No one understands me!" With that, she turned to storm out of the infirmary…until she remembered the blood she'd seen on the doctor's coat: _"…it's not as bad as my coat apparently looked."_ She changed direction and headed back toward the room where Kadowaki's patient was supposedly convalescing, waving a hand to finish the paralysis spell as Kadowaki tried to get up to stop her. "Just sit down," she snarled as the doctor slumped back into her seat, conscious but unable to move. "I'll see just how well you take care of your patients." She headed back into the smallish treatment room where a blonde female student in a candidate uniform lay partially-covered by a white sheet. Rinoa noticed a large spot of blood on the sheet where it coved the girl's leg… _Or what's left of it_ Rinoa realized as she saw that the sheet lay flat on the bed where the rest of her leg should have been.

"Hello, Miss Rinoa," the young woman greeted weakly. "Thank you for visiting me, but I'm not really up for company right now."

"What happened, Tisky?" Rinoa whispered, her anger fading as her heart went out to the girl; while she didn't know the candidate very well, it was still hard to see her in such a distressed state.

Tisky smiled up at her unexpected visitor. "I guess a made a decent snack for a T-Rexsaur," she replied with a chuckle, then gasped at a wave of pain. "Or, at least part of me did."

Seeing the young woman's state combined with her efforts to make light of her situation brought tears to the young sorceress' eyes as her anger continued to fade; she imagined what it must have been like to come to school with a whole body, only to lose part of it in a moment. "I'm so sorry…"

"It's my fault, really," Tisky replied. "I shouldn't have punched outside my weight class. I'm just glad that Dr. K's so good at what she does; I could've lost a lot of blood."

"Yeah…" Rinoa murmured, thinking of the still-paralyzed doctor in the next room. "Can…Can I help?"

"If you know how to regrow body parts, that'd be nice," Tisky giggled, then gasped at another wave of pain. "S-Sorry; it still hurts pretty bad. Could you come back later?"

Rinoa ignored her question as she reached for the sheet and started to uncover the girl's legs.

"Whoa, I gotta warn you; it's not pretty down there…" the candidate warned.

Rinoa's eyes widened at the bloody wraparound bandage that covered the girl's stump; it appeared that the monster had bitten off her leg just below the knee. "Oh, no…"

"I'll be fine," Tisky grunted, drawing Rinoa's gaze to her face. "Once the prosthetic arrives, I'll be good as new."

Rinoa shuddered at the expression of brave defiance in the girl's eyes, so she looked back down at the devastated leg…and gasped.

She was able to see right through the bandages to the damaged leg underneath. Not only that, she could also see the cells trying to repair the damage, as well as the residual saliva left by the monster that the doctor couldn't get to with her limited equipment. She could also see… "Oh my god…"

"What?" Tisky squeaked, starting to panic as she worked on sitting up. "It's not getting worse, is it?"

Rinoa ignored her words yet again as she studied the subatomic structure of the girl's leg, the wound in particular. "It's so simple…"

"What? What's going-?" Tisky suddenly collapsed back into the bed due to the sleeping spell cast on her with a wave of a hand.

"Be quiet, please," Rinoa gently admonished the unconscious girl. "I have work to do and really need to focus."

* * *

"What about this one?" Selphie suggested, pointing to an entry in the flyer as they sat together on the plush sofa in Squall's office. "A robot goes to the past to try to save the future."

"Not bad," Squall replied, studying the movie's summary. "But that story's been done too many times already."

"Well, pooh," she huffed as she flopped back on the sofa in Squall's office. "That's almost all the movies, and you've pooh-poohed every one."

"Sorry," he replied with a shrug along with a look of regret. "I'm really not into movies in the first place."

She giggled as she shook her head at her stoic friend. "Well, we'll just have to cure you of-"

_chirp chirp_

The pair looked at each other in surprise at the sound of Squall's communicator, and he quickly got up to reply, tapping the button to connect as he reached his desk. "Squall here."

"_Commander?"_ came the voice of Doctor Kadowaki, sounding unusually animate. _"I just had an…unusual interaction with Miss Heartily."_

Squall's brow furrowed at the tension in the good doctor's otherwise calm demeanor. "Are you okay, Doc?"

"_I'm fine,"_ Kadowaki replied, _"but I'm concerned about Miss Heartily; she hit me with a Silence spell, then what must have been a paralysis-type spell."_

All of Squall's red flags raised, and he reached out to end the call. "Stay there, Doc; I'll be right down."

"_Don't worry about me, young man,"_ she gently scolded. _"Right now, you need to find that poor young woman and help her."_

"Understood." Squall didn't really understand but he ended the communication, only to open the line again. "Commander Leonhart to Chief Dincht," he announced over the private channel. Each of the staff and faculty had portable communicators that allowed them to speak with one another without utilizing the public address system; after the invasion by Galbadia, Cid wanted a way for people to be able to communicate with each other quickly and without letting the enemy know what they were doing.

"_Zell here, boss. What's up?"_

"Where are you right now?"

"_My digs. Why?"_

"Meet me by the elevator on the first floor in one minute," Squall ordered. "We have a situation."

"_Got it."_ Zell may have been pretty laid-back, but he could be serious when the circumstances warranted it. _"See you in one."_

"Squall out." The commander closed the channel and looked over at his guest. "Selphie, get your weapon and get Junctioned."

"What's wrong?" Selphie asked, sounding understandably worried as she hopped to her feet.

Squall sighed as he ran a hand through perpetually unruly hair. "We have a sorceress to find."


	13. Conflict

**Chapter Thirteen: Conflict**

Rinoa trembled uncontrollably as she staggered down the open-air hallway from the infirmary and back into the Garden proper. She was still reeling from what she had seen, what she had done…

* * *

"What's up, boss?" Zell greeted as he jogged up to the pair waiting for him at the elevator.

"Dr. K contacted me and told me that Rinoa had done…something," Squall explained, waving his hands in frustration at the lack of a better explanation. "Since she's coming from the infirmary, she can't have gone too far."

"She might even be closer than we think…" Selphie said as she pointed to a lone figure, staggering along the hallway at the bottom of the stairs.

"Dude, it's like she's in a trance," Zell breathed, stunned at the sight of his traveling buddy. "Like the way she was back on the space station."

Squall sighed heavily and started toward his former lover, unsheathing the Lionheart as he moved. "Come on."

"I-Is that really necessary, Squall?" Selphie protested as she followed the commander.

"We don't know what she's done or how she's used her power," Squall replied as he started down the steps. "We can't take any chances."

"I get it," Zell sighed, tugging on his Ehrgeiz gloves as he also followed Squall down the stairs. "I hate it, but I get it. I'm Junctioned to the max, by the way."

Squall simply nodded in response as he turned his attention to the sorceress before him. "Rinoa."

The young woman somehow stopped on a dime, then turned slowly to face the trio of friends. "Squall…"

"What's wrong, Rin?" Selphie whimpered, though she held her weapons in a ready position.

"Why do you have your sword out-oh, right…" Rinoa said, her face a mask of sadness. "Your job is to kill the sorceress…"

"Dr. Kadowaki told me that you attacked her," Squall informed the distressed girl while keeping his blade between the two of them; he was also trying to ignore an ache in his chest. "I don't want to kill you if I don't have to…"

"'Squall's blade will pierce my heart'…" Rinoa murmured, barely loud enough for the trio to hear. "But he's done that already…"

A surge of pain shot through Squall's chest, and he nearly lost his grip on his gunblade as he dropped to one knee. "Zell," he gasped. "Don't kill her; just knock her out if you can."

"Squall?!" Selphie quickly sheathed her weapon to drop to her friend's side. "Are you okay?"

"Chest…hurts…" Squall grunted, his eyes squeezing shut at the pain. "She might….be using a spell…

"I haven't done anything, I promise!" Rinoa cried as Zell took a couple of hesitant steps toward her. "Zell, you believe me, don't you?"

"I…" Zell looked from the sorceress to the fallen commander with confusion. "I don't know what the hell to do!"

"That pain you feel is called 'the conviction of your conscience'," Squall heard as he felt a comforting hand come to rest on his shoulder, and he looked up into the smiling face of Headmaster Cid. "Let me handle this, okay?"

Squall could only nod, though the pain had already started to fade.

"Zell, stand down," Cid ordered as he approached the distressed sorceress. Giving her his full attention he asked, "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

Rinoa's face seemed to melt into tears. "I did a bad thing, sir…"

"I know you did," he replied comfortingly as he tenderly pulled her to his chest. "But I'm sure you'll be forgiven. You probably feel lost and frightened right now, don't you?"

"Yeah…" she whimpered, blinking more tears away as Squall struggled to his feet with Selphie's assistance. "I feel so…alone."

"Losing your relationship with Squall must have been hard, huh?" he asked as he stealthily waved away a curious onlooker. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," she muffled into his shirt. "It's mine. I'm…I'm so immature."

"How so?" he asked with compassion laced with genuine curiosity.

She gently pushed away from the older man to wipe at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Well, I treated Squall and Zell and Selphie like things instead of people. Here I was, trying to be a big hero, while using Squall and Zell and Selphie like…well, things."

"But it was their job to follow your orders," he politely countered.

"But that doesn't mean that I could do anything I wanted with them," she huffed. "And I feel terrible for what I did to your doctor; she's a really nice lady who was trying to help me, and I'm afraid she'll never forgive me."

"I'm sure she will," came another voice, and everyone looked to see Doctor Kadowaki heading toward them, with a young woman in a candidate uniform behind her. "In fact, she'll also thank you for what you did for her patient."

Before anyone could react, the mighty sorceress ducked around Balamb Garden's headmaster, putting him between her and the physician. "I'm so sorry!" she wailed. "I'm so sorry!"

"Young lady, stop hiding," Kadowaki said in a stern yet kind tone. "Adults do not hide from their problems."

"She's right, sweetheart," Cid agreed, looking over his shoulder at the terrified teen. "You have the chance to make things right; take it."

Rinoa looked up into Cid's kind face, and in her eyes he could see an abandoned girl, almost as much an orphan as any of the children his wife had cared for. "O-Okay," she finally managed.

She'd barely stepped out from behind the headmaster before she found herself wrapped in another embrace, this one from the good doctor. "I'm so sorry if I upset you," Kadowaki told her in a soothing voice. "I'm so used to talking to soldiers that my bedside manner's not what it could be."

Rinoa briefly froze in surprise; she was supposed to be the 'bad person', the 'evil sorceress', but here was her victim apologizing to her? "But…But I-"

"I forgive you," the doctor said as she caressed the younger woman's hair. "You've had a lot thrown at you and I wasn't very sympathetic."

"But you were right," Rinoa argued even as she snuggled into the motherly embrace. "I've been so immature…"

"R-Request permission to speak?" Tisky spoke up meekly as she stood at attention.

"Of course, Miss Barstow," Cid answered. "It's nice to see your leg's better; I'd read that it had been severed, but it appears that I misread the report."

"It was severed, sir," she replied as she relaxed her stance. "But Miss Rinoa here came in and put me to sleep, and when I woke up my leg had been restored."

"Seriously?!" Zell asked with a goofy grin, then strode up to his sorceress friend. "You fixed 'er up?"

Rinoa reflexively shrank under his intensity until she remembered who he was. "I…I did, yeah; it just seemed so unfair that she'd lost her leg like that, and I wanted to do what I could to help."

"SUH-WEEEEEET!" He thumped her on the back, nearly sending her to the floor. "Oh…uh, sorry. But dude, that's awesome! How'd you pull that off?"

"Maybe we should continue this in my office," Cid suggested, gesturing to the elevator. He then led the way, with Rinoa following him, partly supported by Tisky. Behind them followed Squall and Selphie, the latter of whom repeatedly looked from the raven-haired sorceress to her commander and back.

* * *

"I really don't understand all of it myself," Rinoa admitted as she sat in one of the plush chairs across from Cid's desk; Dr. Kadowaki sat in the other chair, while Tisky and Selphie sat in folding chairs that Zell and Squall had brought in, while the men themselves leaned against the wall. "It was like the more I looked at her leg, the more I could see it."

"Fascinating…" Cid breathed, leaning forward to rest his arms on the wooden desk before him. "And how did you know what you needed to do to restore her limb?"

"I…really don't know," she replied with an apologetic glance toward the physician, who simply smiled. "I just knew, somehow."

"Maybe it's a sorceress thing?" Zell suggested, pushing himself off the wall, though he kept his arms crossed. "Hey, HM; couldn't Matron help us out with this?"

"Or help Rinoa, for that matter," Squall added, pushing himself off as well. "She did offer her support and guidance before, didn't she?"

"Hey, you're right!" Selphie exclaimed, hopping up from her seat. "I'll bet she could tell Rinoa all sorts of things that would help!"

"I had forgotten about that," Cid admitted, absently tapping his fingers on the desktop. "All right, then; I'll talk to Edea as soon as we're done here." He sent the young sorceress a gentle smile. "Miss Rinoa, would you be available for dinner tonight?"

"S-Sir?" Rinoa gasped, her hand flying to her chest.

Cid's smile turned mildly awkward. "Well, if I know my wife half as well as I think, she'll want to invite you for dinner; One, so we can talk during dinner and Two, so the two of you can talk privately afterward. Do you think you could be free?"

Rinoa looked around the room at the expressions of kindness and concern before looking back to the headmaster. "I'd be happy to come. Thank you."

"We'll contact you once we've figured things out," he told her as he got to his feet. "Now, I hope you won't think me rude, but I need to talk with my staff for a bit."

"If you don't need me for anything, I could see her out," Dr. Kadowaki offered.

"That'd be perfectly fine, thank you," Cid replied with an approving nod. "See you later, Miss Rinoa." He then exchanged a friendly wave with the young sorceress, and as she followed the physician out the office door he was relieved to see that the smile she gave him looked more genuine, more relaxed. He then settled back into his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That could have gone a lot worse," he murmured to no one in particular.

"Did we do something wrong?" Selphie asked worriedly.

"No, no…" Cid replied, waving a reassuring hand. "You followed protocol to the letter. I understand that it was hard to raise your weapons against a friend, though."

"No kidding," Zell murmured as he rubbed at his tattoo.

"W-With all respect, sir," Tisky started with an apologetic expression, "if I'm not needed for this, may I be excused?"

"Huh?" With as caught up as he had been in the situation, Cid had nearly forgotten that the candidate was present. "Oh! No, Miss Barstow; you're dismissed. Thank you for your patience."

"Y-You're welcome," she replied as she rose from her seat to salute her superiors, who stood as well to return her gesture. "Gentlemen, ma'am; have a pleasant day."

"You too, Tiss," Selphie replied as she exchanged a hug with the surprised girl. "Take care of that leg, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," Tisky replied with an awkward smile as she reached for the door handle. "Have a pleasant day."

Squall smiled at the exchange, but held off on saying anything until after the door had shut behind the candidate. "Sir, you said something earlier that… Well, I'm not sure what you meant."

"About the conviction of your conscience?" Cid replied with a knowing smile.

"Yes, sir."

The headmaster leaned back in his chair and folded his hands over his stomach. "You and Rinoa were very close, went through a lot together, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"So it must have been difficult to raise your gunblade toward her," he suggested.

The pause before the commander's response was unmistakable. "It's…my job to protect everyone from the sorceress as well as the sorceress from the world."

"…and, sometimes, the sorceress from herself," Cid added.

"Yeah… I mean, yes, sir," Squall quickly amended.

Cid smiled up at the stoic young man. "I think we can relate on some level; wouldn't you agree, Sorceress' Knight?"

Squall blinked in surprise; he'd forgotten that Cid would have to have been Edea's knight, and to order his SeeDs to fight her… "I guess so, sir… But I think you had it harder."

"Maybe," Cid replied offhandedly as he straightened in his seat again. "But the heart is a very volatile thing, and what can be easy for one can be nearly impossible for another."

"Don't you know it," Zell quipped with a goofy grin, apparently thinking of his extremely introverted girlfriend.

Selphie watched with interest as Squall's eyes briefly lost focus. "I'm not sure I understand, but I'll think about it."

Cid noticed the intelligence chief's expression and inwardly smiled. "I believe you'll understand the idea, and very soon," he told the commander. "I have faith in you; in all of you, in fact."

"Thank you, sir," Squall replied, reflexively saluting.

There was a brief yet heavy silence in the room before the headmaster spoke again. "At this point I don't see anything more that needs to be discussed. If none of you need anything from me, then you're dismissed."

"Yes, sir," Squall replied, and everyone stood to salute their beloved headmaster. "Have a good day, sir."

"Thank you, you too," Cid replied as he returned the salute.

"Catch ya later, boss," Zell added as he dropped his hand and headed for the door.

"Bye-bye, HM," Selphie said, giving her trademark wave before taking Squall by the arm. "C'mon, Squall; let's figure out what movie we're going to see."

"Movie?" Zell froze with the door held open and watched somewhat stupidly as Selphie half-dragged Squall out the office door. After they left his line-of-sight he looked back at the headmaster. "Hey, uh…Anything I should know here, boss?"

Cid spread his hands with a look of innocence. "Not that I'm aware of."

Zell stared at him for a moment, then out the door where his friends had departed, then straight ahead before shaking his head. "Weird…" he finally decided as he left, quietly closing the door behind him.

Finally alone in his office, Cid stretched his arms over his head and enjoyed the feel of several popping joints before leaning back again, with his hands behind his head. "Not quite what I would have expected, but I'm glad to see everything's going so well…"


	14. Movies 'n Stuff

**Chapter Fourteen: Movies 'n Stuff**

"Whew!" Selphie exclaimed, drawing the back of her hand across her forehead as though to wipe away sweat. "Thank goodness that turned out so well! And I'm soooo glad we didn't have to fight her!"

Squall simply grunted his agreement as the elevator took them back up to the first floor.

"Hey, have you eaten yet?" she asked, turning her eyes on her friend. "I was about to, but…"

Squall gave her a sideways glance. "Irvine?"

"Yeah," she replied, casting her gaze to the floor as the doors opened.

He sighed as they exited the elevator, stopping briefly to think; he'd wanted to eat quietly by himself, but if she went into the cafeteria by herself and came across Irvine… He sighed again. "Did you want me to come with you?"

"You don't have to," she replied as they made their way down the stairs to the main hallway. "I know it'll be a late lunch. I just… I don't want to go in there by myself if he's in there."

"Fine," Squall grunted, feeling way outside his comfort zone. "I'll…eat with you."

"Thank you," she said in an uncharacteristically quiet tone as she studied the floor. "I'm sure this isn't easy for you, but I really appreciate it."

"Whatever," he said, reflexively starting to cross his arms before remembering that he needed them for stability. "As long as you're happy, then it's fine."

She smiled softly at him – until she felt an arm THUMP across her shoulders, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. "Hey, you two!" Zell greeted with his typical exuberance. "I heard it through the grapevine that you're going to a movie!"

"Who told you that?" Squall asked as he shrugged off the martial artist's arm from his own shoulders.

"A little bird called 'Selphie'," he replied, wiggling his eyebrows at his stoic friend.

"Th-That's weird," Selphie murmured, trying to ignore a twinge in her chest. "I didn't know I told you."

"You didn't," Zell cackled, shifting his wiggling eyebrows to her. "I heard you talking about it when you left the big HM's office."

"It's not like it was any big secret," Squall remarked as they turned the corner to head down the hall to the cafeteria. "HM just thought that some time away from our stressors would do us some good and suggested a movie."

"Oh-ho, are you talking about the ones that they'll be showing at Trabia's party?"

"That's right," Squall confirmed. "But apparently I'm too much of a wet blanket to pick one."

Selphie's jaw dropped in shock. "I never said you were a wet blanket, Squall!"

He glanced over at her with a puzzled look. "I never said you did."

Zell looped his arm around Squall shoulders, more carefully this time. "Dude, normally when something is said with that kind of timing, it's implied that you're saying something about what the other person said…or something like that."

"Oh." Squall's pace slowed, absently shrugging Zell's arm off again as he pondered the idea. "Sorry, Selphie," he said as he started up again. "I didn't mean it like that."

"It's fine," Selphie giggled. "I guess I'm still not used to the way you talk, even after all this time." She then caught Zell's meaningful look and quickly waved her hands. "Not like I think it's a bad thing, not at all! I like it! It just takes some getting used to!"

"Um, okay…" Squall replied, thoroughly confused by the exchange as they entered the cafeteria. Zell, however, fell back and studied the pair briefly, his expression one of uncertainty, before jogging to catch up with them again.

The trio collected their lunches before heading to a table toward the far corner of the room; it was relatively secluded, so they could talk with a reasonable expectation of privacy.

"So, you're having problems with picking a flick?" Zell asked between bites.

"It's just that Squall's not really into movies," Selphie replied before Squall could open his mouth. "It's not really a problem."

"Yeah…" Zell murmured as he noticed that she'd gently patted their mutual friend's arm as she spoke. "I think I get it. Do…" He cleared his throat. "Have you seen many movies, boss?"

Squall shook his head. "Not many, especially since becoming commander; not enough time."

"Are you, like, backed up or something?" Zell followed up.

"I think you mean 'backlogged'!" Selphie laughed as she gave Squall's arm a couple more pats. "And you know Squall; he has to-"

"I don't mean to be rude," Squall interrupted, "but could I answer the question?"

"Oh! Sorry!" Selphie squeaked, unconsciously withdrawing her hand to make a zipping motion over her mouth. "Mph mph mph."

He chuckled as he shook his head at her antics. "Thank you."

Zell's normally-perpetual grin faltered at the exchange; was he seeing what he thought he was seeing…? "Hey, uh…you two; how about Meg and I help you out? We've caught a lot of flicks, so we know what's good, what's pretty good, and what sucks."

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Selphie chirped, her expression brightening as she looked over at her friend. "What do you think, Squall?"

"That's…not a bad idea," he mused, his eyes briefly losing focus as he nodded thoughtfully. "When would you want to do this?"

"We could hook up with you tonight," the martial artist offered. "We're gonna be figuring out what we'll want to do at Trabia's shindig anyway, so…" He grinned as he raised his hands in a shrug. "That cool? C'mon, you can't be that backed up."

"It's 'backlogged', Z," Squall chuckled, then rubbed a hand across his face. "I guess I could take an evening off from my deluge of paperwork; it's been a pretty long day, anyway."

"Really?" Selphie exclaimed, her eyes twinkling. "Great! What time should we meet? Where should we meet?"

"Well, Meg and I were gonna meet at my pad, but it's too full of stuff to hold all four of us," Zell mused. Then he looked around the room. "Hey, the cafeteria's open pretty late; why don't we meet up here?"

"That's fine," Squall sighed, irked at losing another meal to himself.

Selphie noticed his expression and smiled sympathetically. "Why don't we meet up at my quarters at seven? All of us are off at five, and it'll give us enough time to eat dinner before meeting up."

Squall blinked in surprise before slowly nodding approvingly. "I could do that."

"Sounds good," Zell agreed, also nodding. "Meg and I can get some 'us' time and then meet up with you two."

"Then it's settled," Squall decided, collecting his tray and getting up as he noted the time on a wall clock. "I need to get back to the office, so I'll see you later. Selphie, Z," he said in farewell before heading over to the drop-off counter to deposit his tray before heading out of the eatery.

Zell noticed a small smile form on his friend's face as she watched their friend depart, and he made a mental note to talk with Sally about it later.

* * *

Squall grumbled under his breath, checking his watch yet again as he stood across the hall from the door to Selphie's quarters; he'd arrived about a half an hour earlier than he'd intended but couldn't bring himself to press the call button. After checking the time he lowered his arm, only for it to absently rub at his abdomen; he'd noticed an uneasy feeling in his stomach since lunch. He'd initially chalked it up to eating too fast, but the sensation had intensified the closer he got to the end of his shift. "Should've drunk more water," he grumbled as he forced his arm to his side.

"Yo!" greeted a familiar, friendly voice, and Squall looked to find Zell and Sally heading arm-in-arm down the hallway toward him, each of them carrying what appeared to be copies of the event flyer for the upcoming celebration. He was dressed in his usual T-shirt and jacket with denim cargo pants, while she wore a black top and a dark blue skirt, causing Squall to briefly wonder if she was intentionally trying to match her man's color scheme. "She lock you out?"

"No, I got here little earlier than expected and didn't want to be rude," Squall replied, his hand going to his stomach again.

"Are you okay, sir?" Sally asked in her usual timid and slightly breathy voice.

"I'm fine," Squall replied reflexively. "I think I just ate too fast earlier."

"Well, if you need some stomach meds we'll take you to the Doc," Zell replied as he shook his friend's hand. "Maybe you should ask Sylph for some water?"

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

Zell sent him a wink and a grin before turning his attention to the small panel next to the door to Selphie's quarters, pressing one of its buttons. "Yo, Sylph! You gots company!"

"Zell…" Sally giggled.

The door opened a minute later, revealing their hostess in her usual dusty-gold overall dress. "Hey, guys!" she chirped. "Come on in!"

Zell cackled as he exchanged his customary fist-bump with her, drawing another giggle from his girlfriend, who opted for a more formal greeting. "Good evening, chief."

"Oh, please; call me Selphie," the bouncy-haired girl told her in a mock-exasperated tone as they exchanged a brief hug. "We're off-duty right now, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"O-Okay…S-Selphie," Sally giggled before stepping further into the room.

Selphie's smile faltered, feeling a twinge in her chest again as Squall entered her quarters. "H-Hiya, Squall."

"Hey, Selphie," he greeted as he took in his surroundings. "Um…thanks?"

"For what?"

Squall opened his mouth, then his expression turned to one of confusion as he closed his mouth again. "I'm…not sure."

"Well, come on in," she giggled as she took him by the arm and led him over to an off-white, three-section couch in the main area and nudged him onto it. "Wait here; I'll go get you some water."

Squall sent a surprised look toward Zell, who simply shrugged before wrapping his arms around his girlfriend, who sat in his lap. "I dunno, dude; maybe she just does that for everyone." Partly satisfied with the martial artist's reply, he settled back into the plush cushions.

Their hostess appeared a minute later with a glass of water in each hand, which she set on a low table between her guests. "I'll be right back with the rest of them," she told them as she hustled back to the kitchenette.

Squall picked up the glass that had been placed before him and took a few careful sips; the water was cool but not too cold, and his stomach immediately started to feel better. "Whew," he sighed as he placed the glass back on the table.

"That hit the spot?" Zell asked with a grin.

"Yup."

Selphie returned with the rest of the drinks, and Sally moved to another seat so her man could have his drink without worrying about spilling it on either of them. "So, what kinds of movies do you like, boss?" Zell asked before putting his glass to his lips.

Squall blinked a few times in thought; he hadn't seen many movies in his life, so he didn't have much of a pool to reference. "I'm not sure, to be honest." He snorted. "With the adventure we've been on, any movie would seem boring by comparison."

"I think I understand," Sally giggled. "I could see action moves being uninteresting after everything you've done."

"Yeah, but…" Zell rubbed at his tattoo. "I was on that adventure too, but I still enjoy some action."

"Well, you're more action-oriented than most of us," Selphie pointed out with a giggle of her own. "You're more likely to look for adventure than someone like Squall; he basically had it pushed on him."

"But he still kicked ass like a pro," Zell countered.

"I think she's comparing your inclinations, Zell," Sally told her boyfriend, drawing his attention. "Just because the comm-…er, Squall can handle adventure doesn't mean that he's the type to seek it out."

"Kinda like liking chess versus liking fighting?" Zell asked.

Sally briefly mulled over his question. "Something like that."

Zell rubbed at his tattoo again, his eyes unfocused. Finally he gave a goofy grin. "See, that's why I'm glad we're dating…well, one of the reasons; you understand all this brainy stuff and can explain it to me."

"You're plenty 'brainy', Zell," she replied with a playful swat at his arm, which he easily avoided. "We're just knowledgeable in different areas, that's all."

Squall crossed his arms and looked to the side, away from the exchange; Selphie noticed his discomfort and hid a smile behind her hand.

"Okay, Meg; thanks," Zell said, clearly trying to end that particular topic as he returned his attention to Squall. "Anyway, are you sure you're not into action flicks?"

"I guess I just need a break from the stress that comes with it," Squall replied with a half-shrug.

"Do you mean that you think of the decisions that would have to be made before and during any combat scenes?" Sally asked.

Squall blinked in surprise at the candidate's insight. "Yeah, that's it. I know what can happen behind the scenes; I guess my mind kinda fills in the blanks."

Out of the corner of his eye, Zell could see how attentively Selphie was listening to Squall's answers and tried to not smile; his conversation with Sally earlier had been insightful. "Okay, so actions flicks are out. What else is there?"

It took nearly an hour, but the quartet was finally able to narrow the choices down to three. "And there's nothing saying that we can't watch all three of them," Selphie pointed out, then smirked at Squall's alarmed expression. "I know that HM only suggested that we watch one, but the whole point of it was to relax, right?"

"S-Sure…" Squall admitted as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Zell and Sally exchanged a glance and a smile.

"Then if we watch all three, then we should be three times as relaxed!" Selphie concluded with a fist in the air.

"Y-Yeah…"

"What's wrong, bossa nova?" Zell asked with a barely-perceptible gleam in his eye. "You're not sounding too confident, there."

"Sorry," Squall grunted while running his fingers through his hair. "Just…thinking."

"Uh-oh…" Zell quipped.

"What are you thinking about?" Selphie asked with an attentive smile and curiosity in her eyes.

"It's just…" Squall sighed, slumping forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "It's just that it seems like things are going too quickly here, just like what happened with…with Rinoa."

Zell and Selphie exchanged guilty looks, both of them remembering back to when they worked to all but push Rinoa into Squall's arms. "We're not trying to force anything, Squall," she replied quietly, trying to ignore a sudden ache in her chest.

"It's like… All I heard ever since she joined us was 'Rinoa this' and 'Rinoa that'," Squall fumed as he pushed himself to his feet and started to pace.

Zell opened his mouth to say something but was silenced by Sally's touch to his knee and a shake of his head, and he realized that his friend was venting and simply needed a sympathetic ear. Or several.

"Did you know that during the Battle of the Gardens she actually stopped us so she could talk about my ring?!" Squall continued in a tone of disbelief. "Our friends, our family, were fighting and dying, but she needed to talk about…" he waved his hands, "…more important stuff, apparently."

"Seriously?" Zell blurted. Sure, he'd gotten the ring for her, but still…

"And the idiot that I was, I stood there outside one of Galbadia Garden's side entrances and actually talked about it!" Squall finished, slapping his forehead.

"I don't think you're an idiot," Selphie said quietly.

Squall paused in his tirade, her words letting the air out of his anger. "Thanks," he finally murmured. "I guess I've been holding that in for a while. That and other things."

"I guess I could see why the two of you had troubles after the war," Sally said compassionately. "If she could stop everything for something like that…"

"Rinoa, Rinoa, Rinoa," Squall huffed, running his fingers through his hair as he started pacing again, more slowly this time. "I swear, with the way everyone was going on about us, I was going to start hearing things like 'Squinoa' or something; I've heard the females mash their names up with the names of males that they've liked."

The other three snorted into laughter, only to quickly silence themselves with apologies. "Sorry, boss," Zell chuckled before making a show of clearing his throat. "It's just that I've heard that kind of thing making the rounds. At least, until a few days ago."

"I'm so sorry, Squall," Sally lamented. "I didn't mean to laugh at your pain; I was just surprised to hear that, especially from you."

"Don't worry about it, "Squall replied with a shrug; he then chuckled as well. "It is kinda funny, if frustrating."

Zell sighed as he smiled at his buddy, then his eyes widened before he raised his arm to check his watch. "Hey, Sal Gal; I gotta jet."

She looked at him in concern before checking her own timepiece. "Oh my goodness! And you're administering a couple of exams early in the morning, aren't you?"

"Yup!" he replied, clapping his hands on his knees as he got to his feet. "Sorry boss, Sylph; gotta go."

"That's okay," Selphie replied as she saw them to the door. "You helped us out a lot and we…er, I…" she quickly amended with a glance over at Squall, "…really appreciate it."

"No prob!" he replied with a thumbs-up as he followed Sally out the door. "See you tomorrow, you two!"

"Night, Z," Squall replied with a lift of his hand in farewell. As the door closed headed toward the door himself. "I'd probably better go, too."

"Gonna try to get some paperwork done before turning in?" she asked with a knowing smile as she turned to face him.

"I'd like to have a few things off my plate before the party," Squall sighed with a shrug. "I hate distractions."

"Oh, you can have fun without worrying about that," she giggled, "but I think I understand. I hate having things hanging over my head, too."

He gave a brief smile as she pressed the button to open the door for him. "See you tomorrow."

"Good night, Squall," she replied, then watched as he left her quarters. She started to feel a twinge in her chest again and added, "I'm really looking forward to seeing those movies with you."

He stopped, turned to look at her over his shoulder, then jerked his head in a nod before turning back to head down the hallway toward the main ring.

Selphie leaned against the doorframe to watch him depart. "'Squinoa'…" she giggled to herself as he disappeared from sight; then she gasped as she felt an abrupt and intense longing, tears pooling in her eyes. "Wh-What about 'Squalphie'…?"


	15. Housewarming Party

**Chapter Fifteen: Housewarming Party**

"Time to Ragna-rock-n-roll!" Zell hollered as he waved the first group of partygoers onto the giant spaceship, then turned to his girlfriend next to him. "Dude, I am so stoked!"

"I can tell," she giggled. "We haven't been to a party like this since your return from the future."

"Yeah…" he replied, his grin fading as he stepped up to his petite sweetheart to gaze into her angelic face. "Man…I can't imagine what it would have been like if we'd failed; no 'us' would really suck."

"I can't imagine it, either," she agreed as she reached up to cup his face with her hand, her fingers absently tracing the lines of his tattoo. "I'm so glad you won."

"Yeah…" he repeated, laying his hand over hers. "It's too bad Rinoa couldn't have laid into Ultimecia a bit, but still…"

"Hey!" a voice called out, and the couple awkwardly broke contact to see Selphie waving at them from the cargo ramp. "We're all on board and waiting for our pilot!"

Zell looked back at his girl with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, Sal Gal."

"It's okay," she replied, fluttering her eyes at him as they headed toward the ship. "We'll do some 'smooching' later."

Zell froze mid-step, his grin shifting from sheepish to goofy as he started walking again. "Score…"

They made their way to the bridge, where Squall and Selphie had already taken their seats; as Garden staff they were allowed in the cockpit, while candidates and SeeDs had to settle for regular seating. Being the saviors of the world certainly came with benefits. "Sorry, sir," Sally said to the commander as she quickly took the pilot's seat.

"Yeah, sorry dude," Zell seconded as he claimed the copilot's seat. "My bad; I was chatting up your captain here and lost track of stuff."

"Don't worry about it," Squall chuckled. "I know you'll be missing out on a lot of 'you' time with shuttling us back and forth. For what it's worth, I really appreciate it."

"Me, too!" Selphie exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air. "Now let's get this show on the road!"

Zell and Sally exchanged smiles as they conducted the pre-flight check and made sure to reach for the same button so they could touch hands. "'Scuse me, captain," Zell said with a wiggle of his eyebrows, causing said captain to blush madly.

"We're..." Sally croaked, still feeling the effects of Zell's touch before clearing her throat. "We're ready for departure, commander."

"At your discretion," Squall told her.

"Yes, sir." With that the huge vessel lifted off, and under Sally's delicate touch it rotated in mid-air before accelerating toward Trabia Garden.

"You know, Squall; I've been thinking…" Zell started, turning in his seat to face two of his best friends.

"Uh-oh…" Selphie said with an impish grin.

"No, seriously," he said, holding up his hands. "You know how this baby is made for space, right?"

"Of course," Squall replied.

"Well, wouldn't it be cool if we could make a ship like this, but one that we could use for exploring space?" Zell's eyes nearly glowed as he spoke, and it was clear to the others that he was excited by the idea. "It'd be like that one show; we could find new planets and see if anyone lives on 'em!"

"You're really on fire about this, aren't you?" Squall asked with an amused smile.

"Well, yeah!" he exclaimed as Sally giggled. "The only problem, though, is how long it would take to get to these other planets. I mean, the Ragnarok is cool and all that, but it'd run out of gas before we got too far; we'd need a way to go really far really fast."

"That makes sense," Squall said, leaning forward in his seat, suddenly intrigued by the idea.

"But see, if we go too fast, we'd end up getting smooshed into whatever ship we're flying, right?" Zell continued.

"Ewwwww…" Selphie groaned, her nose wrinkling in spite of her smile. "Gross, Zell."

"But I think I got a solution," Zell continued. "See, Ultimecia's focus was on time magic, right? And Odine's awesome at copying Sorceress abilities with his tech, right? I mean, he's the one who invented the Draw system, right?"

"Wait a minute…" Squall's eyes lost focus as he pondered his friend's words. "Are you suggesting that we could use Time magic on a ship to somehow make us go places more quickly?"

"Exacatiggly!" Zell chirped with a snap of his fingers. "But I was thinking; what if we could step outside of time? We could go anywhere we wanted in an instant!" He sat up with a smile of pride, only for it to fade at the sight of three pairs of wide eyes staring at him. "What? Did I say something stupid again?"

Selphie was the first to blink. "Who are you, and what have you done with Zell Dincht?"

* * *

The festivities were already in full swing as Squall and Selphie passed through the auto-doors into Trabia Garden proper. "Wow, look at all the people!" Selphie gushed as they took in the sight. All throughout the large main entryway students, staff, and faculty chatted together happily in groups of various sizes, from two to three people up to what easily appeared to be a dozen. "This is my kind of party!"

"Yeah…" Squall murmured as he eyed the mass of humanity; while he didn't dislike people, he still had a hard time with larger groups; he was definitely planning on being a wallflower as much as possible.

Selphie noticed his less-than-enthusiastic response and gave him a sympathetic smile as she reached over to pat his arm. "You wanna head to your room? I can-"

"Commander!" Headmaster Winn called as he headed up to them with a broad smile and a twinkle in his eye. "I saw the Ragnarok depart, and I had a feeling you'd be here!"

"Hello, sir," Squall replied, dropping his bag to salute the head of Trabia Garden; he also noticed that several of the students nearby had noticed and started toward him. "How have things been since we left?"

"Busy!" Winn replied with a laugh as he returned the salute; apparently, his disposition had made a one-eighty since the pair last saw him. "But in a very good way, of course!"

"That's…good," Squall conceded, feeling a little stupid for having asked in light of all the decorations spread around the Garden.

"Well, I see you have many admirers waiting to greet you, so I'll excuse myself," the headmaster told them. "I just wanted to welcome you back."

"Thank you, sir," Selphie, replied, trying to hold back a giggle at her friend's discomfort at the attention.

"Commander!" a voice cried from somewhere in the mass of people. "Thank you for saving our home!"

"I-" Squall was at a loss for words, overwhelmed as he was by all the attention, so he looked to Selphie for backup and realized… "Thank you all, but Chief Tilmitt here was the one who activated the machinery that restored your Garden."

"Squall…?" Selphie looked up into her friend's face, and her face brightened as she immediately understood. "I…was just glad to help!" she exclaimed as he thrust a fist into the air. "Everyone was working so hard and I wanted to do what I could to help!" She then gave him a wink along with her smile as the crowd's attention shifted to her, and Squall breathed a sigh of relief as she led the group away toward the cafeteria. "Let's get something to eat, and I'll tell you all about it!"

Finally alone, Squall sighed again, then collected his bag and headed off to the quartermaster to find out which room he would be using.

* * *

As he followed Selphie into the Quad, Squall grunted in approval at the sight of the massive projector set up at the back of the room, along with the largest screen he'd ever seen set up on the opposite wall. "This is pretty impressive."

"What is?" Selphie asked as they headed toward the back of the room, her voice barely discernible over the din of the groups of chattering students.

"Everything," he replied as he lowered himself to the brown-carpeted floor while she made herself comfortable on an oversized pillow. "I hope this doesn't sound insulting, but Trabia Garden looks so small from the outside that it's hard to believe that it could hold a room this big," he explained, taking in the surroundings as he leaned back on his hands; it wasn't hard to see the whiteness of the walls behind the dark blue – almost black – curtains that had been raised to cover them, presumably to dampen sound as well as mute the walls' stark color.

Selphie took a moment to look around as well, then giggled. "You know, I never really noticed; I guess I've gotten so used to it that it just…is what it is," she finished with a shrug along with another giggle.

Squall opened his mouth to reply before a familiar voice stopped him: "Hey, mind if we join you?"

The pair looked up in surprise to see Zell looking down at them, with Sally at her usual place on his arm. "Sure!" Selphie chirped after exchanging a nod with Squall. "I didn't think you were into this kind of movie though, Zell."

"Tch!" Zell scoffed. "I wasn't before, but Sallerina here has 'broadened my horizons'," he replied, sounding more melodramatic toward the end for emphasis.

"'Sallerina'…" Sally giggled as she took a seat next to her man, who had put himself next to Squall. "You're so funny."

Zell simply wrinkled his nose at her as he grinned from ear to ear before turning his attention to Squall.

"'Sup, Z," Squall chuckled as he exchanged a fist bump with his exuberant friend.

"Yo!" Zell replied, spreading his fingers after the fist bump as though imitating an explosion, drawing a chuckle from his normally-stoic friend.

Sally leaned forward so she could see the others. "Chief-I mean, Selphie; do you know what this movie's about?"

"Kinda," Selphie replied as she absently knotted her fingers. "It's a romance, about a boy who works on a farm and falls in love with the daughter, who falls in love with him as well. He goes off to make money for them, but…" She shrugged. "That's all I can remember from the summary."

"I dunno, man…" Zell said in a mock-warning tone as he leaned toward the other male in the group. "We might be punching outside our weight class, here."

Squall shrugged before patting the floor next to him. "If it's boring, I'll just take a nap."

"Squall!" Selphie scolded with a smile as she playfully whapped his arm. "Are you serious?"

"No," Squall deadpanned. "I'm kidding."

She withdrew her hand with a disbelieving grin. "I really thought you were serious!"

"May we join you?"

The quartet looked up to see... "Hey, J-Man!" Zell greeted, hopping to his feet to fist-bump James, who returned the gesture, albeit awkwardly. With him was Dawn, who gave the group a friendly wave, though she looked a little intimidated, which was understandable given that the group had three senior officers as part of it. "Squall, you cool with more company?"

"Of course. Mr. Barton, good to see you again," Squall greeted, then held up a hand as James brought his own to his head. "Please, don't salute me right now; we're off-duty."

"Of course sir," James replied as he and Dawn sat down next to Selphie, on the side opposite Squall. "Thank you, sir."

"Have any of you seen this movie before?" Dawn asked as she took her man's hand, linking her fingers with his. The others looked at each other before shaking their heads, bringing a smile to her face. "Well, I think that-"

"Hey," Zell interrupted as the lights started to dim. "The flick's starting."

The group all watched the movie with varying levels of interest. Of course, since it had romantic elements in it the women's attention was firmly fixed on the screen. The men, however, were a little more varied; Zell spent most of the movie with his forehead wrinkled, apparently having a hard time following the plot, while James' expression seemed impassive, broken only by the occasional blink. Squall's reactions were a little more nuanced, sitting up straighter during the fights while appearing concerned during the interactions between the male and female leads.

"That was…different," Zell mused as the light came back up. "I don't…hm. I don't know what to think; it seems like there was just as much mushiness as there was action. Loved the sword fight at the top of the cliffs, though."

"It was a…an interesting balance," James concurred, squinting as his eyes adjusted themselves to the new light level. "It had a good flow to it, with the dialogue naturally leading into the action sequences as well as the more…romantic scenes."

"Good grief, you guys," Selphie groaned, wrinkling her nose at the two men; then, she turned to Squall. "What do you think?"

The young commander blinked several times, partly to let his eyes finish adjusting to the higher light level, but also to mull over his friend's question. "I guess I could identify with the foreign mercenary," he replied.

"Well, you both use swords…" Zell noted with a smirk.

"Zell, please let him finish," Sally admonished, though her expression wasn't stern in any way.

"I guess I know what it's like to lose someone you love at such a young age," Squall continued, gesturing to the screen. "He lost his dad when he was, what, ten?"

"And you lost Ellone when you were much younger," Selphie murmured, her eyes unfocused. "And your dad…well, he…"

Squall said nothing, but the dark cloud that suddenly descended over him was hard to miss.

"A-Anyway…" Zell started as he got to his feet. "I love that line that the mercenary dude says when he meets his dad's killer! 'I'm so-and-so…'"

"'Hello. My name is Cecil Murandas. You killed my father; prepare to die'," Dawn quoted effortlessly, drawing amazed stares from the others; even Squall's eyebrows jumped. "What?" she squeaked, the color of her cheeks nearly matching that of her hair. "I've read the book a bunch of times, okay?"

Selphie's gasp sounded almost like a cough. "That was awesome, Dawn! The way you said it took me back to that scene!"

As the others gushed over Dawn's knowledge of the story, Squall's gaze turned inward, and he sighed as he thought about Ellone…and about Laguna.


	16. More Than Meets the Eye

**Chapter Sixteen: More Than Meets the Eye**

"Man, I am psyched!" Zell whooped as the group gathered in the same place they had the day prior. "I haven't seen this flick in a long time!"

"You've seen this one before?" Selphie asked, some of his excitement having rubbed off on her.

"You bet!" he replied, throwing a few jabs to rid himself of some nervous energy. "Besides, you can't go wrong with giant fighting robots, amiright Squall?"

"I…wouldn't know," Squall replied, already seated and leaning back on his hands. "Never really thought about it."

"Well, you will after this!" Zell said, pumping a fist.

The others simply exchanged smiles as they joined Squall on the floor, Sally taking her usual place on Zell's lap as Selphie knelt down on a beanbag chair next to Squall.

"I'm not familiar with this movie, chief," James said as he and Dawn snuggled up to each other. "What's it about?"

"Okay, here's the deal…" Zell began. "It's based on an old cartoon about two warring groups of robots; a civil war, I guess you could call it. Anyway, so…" He paused with a thoughtful expression, then shook his head. "Naw, if I tell you any more, I'll end up spoiling a bunch of surprises."

Squall smiled at his friend's about-face, but it quickly faded at the sight of three very familiar figures entering the Quad.

"Is that Seifer?" Zell exclaimed, apparently having seen the same thing.

Selphie narrowed her eyes in the direction he pointed. "It sure looks like it; I'd recognize that grey coat anywhere."

Zell lifted a hand to his forehead as though blocking out the light from above. "How'd he get out of the hoosegow…oh…I see…" he trailed off at the sight of several large figures in SeeD uniforms following the trio. "Looks like HM's keeping an eye on 'em. Good call."

"Is it going to be okay, sir?" James asked, sounding worried. "I mean, he's the one who killed many of our brethren, right?"

"He was under the control of Ultimecia," Squall explained. "He's not going to be as strong as he was then, either; he got a lot of his power from Ultimecia through Matron…Sorceress Edea, that is. Anyway, he's not as powerful as he was back then."

"So he's very killable right now?" Dawn asked, flexing her fingers and wishing she'd brought her weapon with her.

"As you were, SeeD Helsi," Squall ordered in a rare flexing of his authority, mildly shocked at the venom in her tone. "He's under intense observation as well as attending counseling sessions with our physicians. So are the other two, for that matter."

Dawn's jaw visibly tensed but said nothing more as the lights started to dim.

* * *

"That was intense!" Selphie breathed as the lights came up again.

"Toldja so," Zell boasted with a cocky grin. "I actually had to see it twice to take it all in!"

"That part where the whole city turned into a battle station was awesome!" she gushed, thrusting a fist into the air. "And when that planet turned into a robot…? Oh…my…gosh!"

"I never would have thought you'd be into giant robots," Sally said awkwardly.

"I'm not, normally," Selphie replied, "but that was just too cool! Besides, it gets me thinking; what if Trabia Garden could've turned into a huge robot?"

"The battle with Galbadia would certainly have turned out differently," Sally giggled.

"It was difficult watching the leader of the Guardians die," James said, his voice notably strained as he remembered the scene. "While I'll admit that I'm unfamiliar with the source material, he still struck me as a…noble character."

"He was," Zell confirmed with a heavy nod. "I watched the old show, and he was boss."

"At least he gave his life to protect others," Squall interjected, surprising the group; in their banter they'd almost forgotten he was there. "If I died tomorrow, that's the way I'd want to go."

Zell instinctively glanced over at Selphie and wasn't surprised to see a look of dismay. "Squall, you don't really want to die, do you?" she asked.

"Not any time soon, no," Squall replied with a chuckle. "I feel like I have a lot to do here before my time is done."

"That's a relief," she breathed as she gazed at him; the others exchanged knowing glances at her words.

"So Puberty Boy and Chicken-Wuss are into cartoons, huh?" a familiar voice chided, and the group looked up to see Seifer heading toward them followed by Raijin and Fujin, who in turn were followed by their 'handlers'. He leaned over to look Squall square in the eye. "Did you cry when Great One died?"

"I teared up a little, yeah," Squall replied as he held the other man's gaze, drawing wide-eyed stares from the rest of the group at his admission. "Did you?"

"You bet your ass I did!" Seifer laughed as he straightened again. "But he died protecting people from the bad guys." He stood a little taller. "If I'm gonna die tomorrow, that's the way I'm gonna go."

It was Squall's turn to be surprised, hearing his own thoughts nearly word-for-word.

"AGREED," Fujin said, apparently seconding the head of their posse.

"We feel the same way, ya know?" Raijin added. "Anything worth fightin' for should be worth dyin' for, ya know?"

Squall nodded thoughtfully as he considered their words; during the second Sorceress War, Seifer and his posse put their lives on the line a number of times. They may have been misguided, Seifer in particular, but they fought wholeheartedly for what they believed in. "For what it's worth, I'm with you on that," he told them.

"Squall…?" Zell was having a hard time with the idea of Squall agreeing with the old Disciplinary Committee on anything. "You hit your head, dude?"

"C'mon, Z, think about it," Squall challenged. "Would you be willing to die to protect someone important to you? Your mom, for example? Or Sally?"

"Abso-frickiin-lutely!" Zell exclaimed as he pumped a fist.

"By the way, Dincht …" Seifer directed his gaze to the martial artist. "Congratulations on getting a girl; didn't know you could do it."

Zell froze mid-pump, causing the girl in his lap to look up at him in concern. He then made a show of twisting his finger in an ear as though to clear it. "Did I hear you right? Did you just say something nice to me?"

"It's your imagination," Seifer snorted, then shifted his gaze to the bouncy-haired girl. "Hey, Tilmitt; take care of Puberty Boy, got it?"

"Could you at least call him 'Squall', please?" Selphie huffed with her fists on her hips. "That's his name, after all."

Seifer studied her briefly before his expression resolved into a smirk as the members of his posse exchanged a glance. "All right, Tilmitt; since you asked so nicely… Take care of Squall, got it?"

"Eh?" Selphie blinked in surprise as Seifer's words sunk in. "Uh, sure… What do you mean?"

Seifer simply scoffed before turning his attention back to his old nemesis, pointing at him as he spoke. "Before this celebration is over, you and I will cross gunblades again."

"Hey…" one of the SeeDs responsible for the trio started before coming to a halt at Seifer's glance.

"Relax, girls," the gray-coated youth said over his shoulder at the detail. "I'm not threatening him; I just want things like they were back…back before all this shit went down." He turned his attention back to Squall. "You won't let me down, will you?"

Squall mulled over the oddly-phrased request. "Sounds good, but I'd rather fight alongside you than against you."

"Are you serious, Squall?" Zell exclaimed, hardly able to believe his ears. "This guy killed-"

"Z!" Squall barked. "I know what he did, and probably better than you."

"Zell, let him talk..." Sally requested as she tugged on the front of his shirt. "Please?"

Even Seifer watched as Zell worked his jaw or several seconds before speaking again. "Fine, I'll shut up…for now. But if there's a fight, I wanna see it."

"Sure thing," Seifer snorted; with that, he turned and headed to one of the many sets of double-doors that opened to the main hall. Of course Fujin and Raijin followed him, with the SeeD detail close behind.

"Well that was weird," Zell remarked as the last of the group disappeared from sight. "That looked like Seifer, but something was different about him."

"Of course," Squall grunted. "He's been through a lot, just like we have."

"Has he shown any guilt over what he did during the war?" Selphie asked.

"He has, but of course I'm not going to go into any detail," Squall calmly replied as he got to his feet; only the Garden headmasters plus Squall were privy to information that would ordinarily be confidential. "I'm gonna go grab a bite to eat; anyone else coming?"

The other looked at each other, surprised by the normally-introverted commander's offer. "S-Sure!" Selphie chirped as she hopped to her feet. "W-We can talk about the movie some more!"

"Pretty sweet, eh?" Zell cackled, his former morose mood dissipating. "Wockwockwockwock…" he grunted, trying to imitate the movie characters' conversion sound effect. "Man, I'd love to hear that in real life!"

"Maybe you will someday," Sally murmured as she snuggled into his arm. "And maybe you'll be the one to make it happen."

"Me?" Zell grunted as they headed out of the Quad and into the main hall. "Sheeyeah, right. Thanks for the vote of confidence Megabyte, but I'm too much of a muscle-head for that!"

"I believe in you," she countered sweetly, her eyes sparkling as she gazed up into his face.

As Zell stammered out his response to her starry-eyed admiration Selphie and Squall exchanged a glance, and he shook his head while she giggled quietly.

* * *

"She could never get into pistols, and I never could get into machine guns," James explained as the group sat around the meal table; as usual, he and Dawn sat side-by-side, their shoulders nearly touching as they ate, while Zell sat next to his girl with the shin of one leg tucked behind her calf. Squall and Selphie, however, sat across from each other…which was understandable, all things considered. "I'd keep trying to hold her weapon in one hand, and she nearly blew one of her fingers off trying to hold one of my revolvers with two hands." His expression resolved into an uncharacteristically impish grin as he got up from his seat and moved to stand behind his girlfriend. "It works out, though," he said, extending his arms forward on either side of his love as though wielding his revolvers while she posed with an imaginary machine gun and a grin of her own. "We've got each other covered."

"James…" Selphie giggled.

"Ho ho ho!" Zell cackled before looking over at his sweetheart. "Hey, Sally; c'mere. I wanna try something."

"Oh, no you don't, Chief Dincht!" Sally giggled, her face nearly aflame as she leaned away from his eager hands. "I know what you're thinking, and the answer is 'later'!"

"Aw, Salamander, I just wanted to…" he trailed off as he finally processed her full sentence. "Oh. Okay. Later's good," he conceded with a wiggle of his eyebrows, drawing another giggle from his perpetually-shy girlfriend.

"So, who's going to tomorrow night's dance?" Selphie suddenly piped up.

"I'll pass, thanks," Squall replied immediately with a raised hand. "You know I can't stand large…groups…" He trailed off as his gaze settled on Sally, reminding him that he would be presenting her with her SeeD promotion certification; her quick thinking at the second-floor near-disaster impressed Headmaster Cid as well, who easily signed off on her promotion. "Never mind; I have to be there."

"Commander responsibilities, sir?" James asked.

"Yup," he grunted. "Not that I mind, now that I remember why."

Selphie gave her friend a sympathetic smile as she reached out to pat his arm. "Well, thank you for putting yourself out there like that, Squall. It's just for a couple of hours, so…" Her eyes lost focus as an idea came to mind. "Hey, if it'd help, I could dance with you!"

"Say what?" Squall wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly.

"Are you serious, Sylph?" Zell cackled. "You know he's got two left feet, right?"

"No, he doesn't!" Selphie protested, her expression shifting to a frown almost instantly. "Sure, he was rough around the edges at first, but he's a quick learner!"

As the two went back-and-forth about their friend's feet, Squall thought back to his own graduation party…and his first meeting with Rinoa…

"_You're the best-looking guy here…"_

"_Dance with me?"_

He remembered it as though it had happened yesterday; Rinoa's coy glances as she tried to sweet-talk him into dancing with her, her raven-colored hair swaying with her movements, the feel of her body in his hands… He had to bite his lip to hold back the tears, the pain of…happier times? More carefree times? "Hey, Selphie; How did you know I was a quick learner?" he asked, partly out of curiosity and partly to distract himself from the painful memories.

"Huh?" Selphie's face was already pinkish due to her debate with the martial artist, but Squall's out-of-the-blue question sent her straight to scarlet. "I…I just happened to see Rinoa talking with you, and your dance afterward!"

"I thought you were recruiting for the Garden Festival?" Sally said with genuine perplexity.

"I…I was!" Selphie nearly yelled. "It's just that… Well, he was so nice to me early on, helping me get around Garden – Balamb Garden, I mean – and he was so much fun to fight alongside during our field Exam, that…" She trailed off, her expression unreadable.

As she tried to explain herself, Sally and Dawn exchanged a nod; they would be talking with the chief, and very soon.


	17. A Smile – and Perhaps, a Tear

**Chapter Seventeen: A Smile – and Perhaps, a Tear**

Selphie gave herself one last look in the mirror before heading out the door for breakfast and was surprised to see Sally and Dawn in their Garden uniforms standing across the hall from her door. "Hey, you two!" she greeted happily with a wave as she bounded over to them. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, chief," Sally greeted while her redheaded companion waved.

"Were you waiting for me?" Selphie asked with a broad smile as she bounced to a stop in front of her friends. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Not yet," Dawn replied with a shake of her head. "We were hoping to eat with you and talk."

"Sounds great!" the perky brunette chirped, and the three of them started down the hallway toward the cafeteria. "What'd you want to talk about?"

"Well…" Sally faltered, unsure of how to phrase her question as well as its timing.

"Is something wrong?" Selphie asked, glancing worriedly over at her junior. "Are you and Zell having problems? I'd have a hard time believing that, but…"

"No, no, it's not that," the petite girl replied, her pigtail wagging with the shake of her head.

Selphie slowed to study the younger girl before smiling sympathetically. "Well, I guess it can wait until we're sitting down and eating."

"Okay. Thank you."

They made their way into the cafeteria and collected their meals, then headed to a table in one of the far corners; students tended to gather at the tables closest to the entrance, so they would be able to talk with a reasonable expectation of privacy. "So, what's up?" Selphie asked as she poked a fork into a pile of fluffy scrambled eggs. "You two seem pretty serious this morning."

Sally's chewing slowed as she exchanged a glance with Dawn as though to ask _Do you want to ask her?_ "I'm…not sure how to ask this, but…"

"Just spit it out," Selphie replied cheerfully, then wrinkled her nose. "Just the question, though; not your breakfast, please."

Sally giggled before taking a deep breath. "Okay, how to begin…"

"We've noticed some…unusual behavior from you toward the commander over the last couple of days," Dawn jumped in.

"We're not trying to imply that we think you're doing anything wrong, though, ma'am!" Sally quickly added while waving the hand not holding her fork. "It's just…"

"The way you act towards Commander Leonhart is more what I'd expect to see from…well…" Dawn trailed off, stuck by a sudden bout of awkwardness.

"Oh, for goodness' sake!" Selphie exclaimed, feigning ignorance even as a familiar ache started to form in her chest. "Squall and I are friends! We fought alongside each other! Of course we're going to seem close; we are!"

"Are you attracted to Command Leonhart?" Sally suddenly blurted before covering her rapidly-reddening face.

Selphie's breath caught in her throat…along with a piece of egg, and Dawn quickly rounded the table to thump her back as she tried to expel the offending morsel. "Th-Thank you," she was finally able to sputter in a raspy voice.

"Drink some of your water, chief," Sally suggested, nudging Selphie's water glass in her direction as Dawn reclaimed her seat.

As she drank the cool, clear liquid, Selphie's brain wracked itself trying to find a way to avoid answering the question. Unfortunately she still hadn't come up with anything by the time she set her empty glass back on the counter, so she tried playing 'airhead': "I'm sorry, I didn't understand your question."

"You're treating the commander like he's your boyfriend," Dawn said matter-of-factly, not buying Selphie's ruse for a moment. "Are you interested in dating him or something?"

"D-Dating…?" Even though the question was not unexpected, it still caught her off-guard. "Wh-Why would I be interested in dating Squall?"

"I don't know why you, personally, would be," Sally admitted. "But he's strong, both in body and spirit, he's handsome, and he has a heart for others; a lot of girls find that attractive."

"W-Well…" Selphie internally cringed as the younger girl's words hit her in the heart like an arrow.

"Kara's all but made a shrine out of the elixir bottle she tried to give him when he saved her from the collapsing second floor," Dawn remarked.

Selphie felt another arrow to her heart as she remembered trying to coax the female SeeD away from her cru-from Squall. "Sh-She did?"

Dawn nodded solemnly. "Of course she'd use it if she had to, but she'd prefer not to. Anyway, I was talking with her yesterday and she said she was planning on approaching him at tonight's dance to try and comfort him; everyone knows about what happened between him and Sorceress Rinoa, so…" She spread her hands in a shrug. "Most of the girls are too intimidated to even try to talk to him, but I think she's really going to go for it."

Panic seized Selphie's body, and she mashed one hand to her face and her fork rattled against the side of her tray as her hand shook. "N…No…"

"You love him, don't you?" Sally asked softly as she tried to gauge her senior's expression. "It's okay, you know?"

"Please don't tell anyone," the normally-perky girl whimpered, dropping her fork to finish covering her face. "Especially not Squall."

"We won't; we promise," Sally replied as Dawn shooed away a curious onlooker. "But what are you going to do? It's obvious that you can't keep going on like this; you're going to wreck yourself."

"Bu-But I can't burden him with my feelings!" Selphie shuddered from behind her hands. "He's still hurting from Rinoa, and…and…"

"Then be there for him."

Selphie's panic cut off abruptly at Dawn's simple statement, allowing her to take several measured breaths. "That makes sense, but I'm not sure why."

Dawn glanced over at Sally, who nodded her approval so she continued. "Just be there for him. We women are supposed to be there for our men, right? That's how I am toward Jim, you know."

"I feel the same way towards my Zell," Sally added. "When he's had a rough day, I want to be a 'soft place for him to fall', as the saying goes."

Selphie's hands slowly lowered from her reddened and teary face as she listened.

"We girls have read so many mushy romance novels that we think there needs to be a bunch of drama around love," Dawn remarked with a disgusted curl of her lip. "But real romance doesn't have to be like that." Her expression softened as she leaned forward to lay a hand on top of Selphie's, intensity in her rich, green eyes. "If you want to be his girl, act like his girl; laugh at his jokes, praise him, but most of all: be a comforting presence for him. No demands, no expectations, just give, be supportive."

Selphie found herself surprised by how much that described her desires. "That's weird… That's exactly what I want to do." She dabbed her eyes with her napkin. "I want to be his smile when he loses his. I want to be a… What did you call it?" she asked Sally. "A soft place to fall? I mean, sure, I'd want to be loved by him, but I know I can't make him do that."

"Model the behavior you want to see," Dawn suggested with a knowing smile. "Or, in this case, the kind of person you want to see."

"Why are you attracted to him?" Sally asked. "Why do you think you two belong together?"

Selphie knew exactly why but took a moment to think of how to phrase her answer. "I…feel like we complement each other. It's like… He's strong where I'm weak and I'm strong where he's weak."

Dawn blinked, clearly impressed. "Damn. If that's true, chief, then I think you two would be perfect for each other."

"But I don't want to stress him out," Selphie whined, returning to her prior concern, but then paused. "But…if it's okay for me to be there for him like I want to and like you've just said…"

Sally and Dawn exchanged a glance, both internally breathing sigh of relief at the hope that started to glow in the chief's eyes.

* * *

As had become a custom of sorts, the group met at their usual spot at the back of the Quad.

"Ya know, we've got to stop meeting like this," Zell joked as the group took their seats, once again in the same places as the two days prior.

"I don't mind," James replied with a grin. "Dawn and I have watched several movies by ourselves, but it's nice to watch one together with comrades."

"'Friends'," Zell corrected with a gleam in his eye, then alternated pointing between himself and the younger SeeD. "J-Man, as far as I'm concerned, you and me are homies."

The others chuckled and Dawn smiled affectionately at her man as he sputtered out an expression of gratitude.

"So what's this movie about?" Squall asked, trying to save his subordinate further embarrassment. "It's only fifty minutes; doesn't seem like it'd be much of a movie."

"It was made back in the early days of filmmaking, sir; films were a lot shorter back then," James informed the group, taking on the role of expert. "'The Orphan' is a silent, black-and-white film by the late Tommy Taylor of Centra and is about an abandoned boy who is taken in and cared for by the Vagabond."

"That explains the length," Squall mused. "I know about some of his shorter films, but I've never heard of this one."

"I think you'll like this, sir," James said, smiling over at his superior. "The Vagabond shows a noble character in this film."

"Then I'm glad we picked it!" Selphie exclaimed, though she sounded subdued, a striking contrast to her usual bubbly self, and Sally and Dawn exchanged a glance as the lights started to dim.

* * *

"ohmygooooosh.." Sally whimpered as the lights came back on. "That was sooo cute!"

"A smile and a tear indeed," James agreed in his own way before pressing a tissue to his face: next to him, Dawn was busy trying to make her reddened eyes presentable again. "I've not seen this in a long time, so I'd forgotten how…impactful it was. The music was beautiful as well."

"That was so sweet," Selphie sniffled, then turned to the young man next to her. "Squall, what did you-"

"So, what did you think of it, Puber-I mean, Squall?" Just like the day prior, everyone looked up in response to an arrogant tone to find Seifer standing before them, with Fujin and Raijin and the security detail following close behind; what surprised everyone, though, was the contrast between Seifer's typical sneer and the fact that his face was soaked, as though he was wearing his tears as a badge of honor. "That rooftop chase was the shit, wasn't it?"

Selphie looked over at her friend and froze; like everyone else, Squall's eyes were wet, but his expression was furious. "He loved that boy, that's for sure," she heard him agree.

"Damn straight!" Seifer retorted, then cleared his still-constricted throat. "That's what a real man is supposed to be like, right?"

"Damn straight!" Zell hollered as he pumped a fist, then blinked as he realized that he'd used the same phrase as his archenemy.

"His dedication to parenting the boy was admirable," James added, clearing his throat to try to clear the residual emotion. "Feeding him, clothing him, caring for him…"

"Dude, aren't you going to clean yourself up or something?" Zell asked Seifer as Sally offered a tissue.

"Tch. I'm not afraid of a few tears," he scoffed. "If I can feel, that means I'm alive, right?"

"IMPORTANT," Fujin intoned.

"Ya gotta be alive to be able to love, ya know?" Raijin added, apparently translating his partner's statement to something more intelligible. "And Seifer feels and Seifer loves so he's alive, ya know?"

The group exchanged awkward glances. "That…sounds kinda weird, but it makes sense," Selphie sniffled, then giggled. "…I think."

"Thanks for the wipe, Miss Regal," Seifer said as he reached down toward Sally, who quickly offered the tissue again, though with a look of surprise. "Hey, just because I'm alive doesn't mean I need to go around showing it off all the time, right?"

"R-Right," Sally squeaked, intimidated by the intensity in the tall man's blue-green eyes.

Seifer finished cleaning his face, then leaned down to look into his rival's fierce expression. "Jeez, Squall, you look pissed. But don't worry; later I'll show you a fight you won't ever forget."

"Maybe he doesn't want to fight you?" Selphie retorted.

"Maybe you should let him speak for himself," Seifer replied, mocking her tone of voice. "Jeez, Tilmitt; Squall's a big boy now."

Dawn bristled at his tone until her boyfriend gently took hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze, and she looked over to see him shake his head ever so slightly.

"Don't let me down, Squall." Then, before anyone could say anything else, Seifer turned on his heel and started out of the Quad, waving over his shoulder as he left. "See you all at the dance tonight." Fujin and Raijin quickly followed, along with the security detail.

"Is it just me, or has that guy gotten weirder?" Zell asked, more to himself than anyone else.

"Squall, are you okay?" Selphie asked her still-furious-faced friend.

"Yeah, what's eatin' you, dawg?" Zell added with a lopsided grin. "Didja get some bad popcorn or something?"

Squall's jaw worked vigorously before he spoke. "It's…" He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair; the motion drew Selphie's attention, to the mild amusement of the others. "It's the Orphan's dad…or, rather, his so-called dad."

Everyone knew who he was talking about; early in the movie the Orphan's father was shown consulting with an associate of some kind and knocked the photo of the Orphan's mother from the fireplace mantle into the fire. He retrieved it, only to toss it back in to burn as he returned his attention to his associate and his work. "Yeah, he was a real jerk," Dawn replied sympathetically. "I can't believe he'd brush her off like that, what with a baby and all."

"Ooooo, that baby was sooo cute!" Selphie gushed, momentarily forgetting her distress over Squall's situation. "The way he smiled at the Vagabond after he wiggled his mustache?" She squealed and kicked her legs as much as the beanbag seat's padding would allow.

"So what bothered you about the father?" James asked, genuinely curious.

"He… He just abandoned her!" Squall fumed, thrusting a hand at the blank screen. "And he abandoned his son! That boy needed a father, and… I mean, I'm glad that what's-his-name took care of him…"

"The Vagabond," Sally reminded politely.

"…the fact is that asshole still abandoned him!" Squall got to his feet and started to pace, unable to sit any longer; Selphie gasped, unused to her friend's use of profanities. "Son-of-a- bitch!

"Fuck him, amiright?" Zell said in support of his friend and comrade.

"Zell!" Sally exclaimed, shocked by her man's language.

Squall stopped short as his rattled brain finally processed what he and his friend had just said. "I-I'm sorry…" he murmured as he covered his face with a shaky hand.

Of course his distress was hard to miss, and Selphie quickly got to her feet and trembled her way to his side. "C'mon, Squall; l-let's get you to your room where you can vent, o-okay?"

Squall said nothing, but nodded several times with his hand still over his face.

"Excuse us," Selphie addressed the rest of the group as she took Squall by the arm. "We'll s-see you tonight, 'k?"

"Yeah, later peeps," Zell said in farewell, while Sally and Dawn exchanged a subtle 'air-high-five'.

* * *

Selphie handed Squall a glass of water as he sat on the couch in his quarters; as Commander of the Unified Gardens, Squall had specially designated quarters in the event he had to visit for an extended period of time. "Here you go, Squall."

"Thanks," he grunted as he accepted the proffered glass and took a sip.

She moved to sit next to him on the couch, but not too closely. "It's…about Sir La- I mean, Laguna, isn't it?" She saw Squall's jaw work as furiously as it had back in the Quad so she figured she'd nailed it. "Do you feel like he abandoned you and your mother?"

Squall huffed a sigh. "Yes and no. I figure he didn't know she was pregnant when he went off on his half-cocked crusade to find Ellone, but it still…" He pressed his free hand to his mouth in an effort to stop the tears from flowing. Tears of abandonment, tears of-

"I'm so sorry," Selphie murmured, reaching out to rest a hand on his shoulder, and it occurred to her that Squall may have had it the worst out of all of Edea's orphan's; while the rest of them truly had lost their fathers to the Sorceress War, Squall had lost his to his father's impulsiveness. Alive, but absent. "I…can't imagine what it's like for you right now, but I'd like to help if I can."

He glanced over at her and allowed a smile to flicker across his face as he patted her on the knee. "Thanks. That means a lot to me." He snorted. "I feel bad for you, though, listening to me whine about my dad when your parents are…well…with what you've been through…"

"I was just thinking about that, actually..." Selphie replied before giving him a brief description of her thoughts on the matter. "…so, in a way, I think you have it worse than the rest of us."

He snorted again. "I'd have to disagree, but I don't have the strength to argue the point right now. Thank you, though."

She simply smiled affectionately as she waited for him to speak again.

There were several moments of silence before he glanced over at her again and chuckled. "I'd better let you get out of here; I don't want to infect you with my sour mood."

"You won't infect me, Squall," she replied with a shake of her head and a twinkle in her eye. "If anything, I think you'd end up being infected by my cheerfulness."

It wasn't a hearty laugh but Squall laughed nonetheless, feeling his mood lift a little. "Thanks Selphie, but I have preparations to make before tonight and I believe you do, too."

"All right," she grudgingly conceded, her smile still in place as they both rose from the couch. "Just…don't turn back into a fuddy-duddy after I leave, 'k?"

He checked again as they made their way to the door. "I won't; I promise," he replied while raising his hand as though taking an oath, drawing a fit of giggles from her. "See you later." He reached out to press the button that would open the door, but he paused briefly before shifting his gaze to her. "Hey, Selphie?"

"Y-Yes…?" she stammered at the unreadable expression on her friend's face.

He said nothing, but lowered his hand from the console only to reach out and wrap her in an embrace. "Sorry," he murmured over the shoulder of the now-wide-eyed girl. "I meant to ask first."

It was a 'buddy' hug, but it still took her by surprise, shaking her to her very being. "Th-Th-That's okay…" she managed as she wrapped her arms around him as well, her hands sliding up his back to rest near his shoulder blades. "I…I…I'm h-here for you."

He eventually broke the hug, backing away to a respectful distance and with another unreadable expression. "I…appreciate that. Thanks." With that he quickly turned and pressed the button to open the door to his waters. "S-… See you later."

"Yeah…later…" She left the room, her mind in a daze as it tried to process what had just happened. As she approached her room, however, her mind started to clear, allowing her to come up with a plan…


	18. A Stressful Gathering

**Chapter Eighteen: A Stressful Gathering**

As he entered the Quad, Squall's eyes widened at the sight of the transformed room. "Now that's impressive."

Certainly it was impressive; in the short span of two hours the Quad had been changed from a movie theatre to a dance hall, complete with buffet tables covered with food, and chandeliers delicately suspended from the ceiling all throughout.

"Yo!" called a familiar voice, and Squall smiled as Zell and Sally approached him, arm-in-arm as usual. As was expected for an official function, he was wearing his SeeD uniform while she wore her candidate uniform. "Can you dig this?" he asked as he made a show of looking around the redecorated room. "I'm starting to think that maybe Trabes is a big transformer."

"You big silly," Sally giggled as she gave his arm a squeeze. "Trabia Garden specializes in tactics; that's why they were able to rearrange this room so quickly."

"Yeah, but…two hours?" he said incredulously.

"One, actually," she replied then nodded with a giggle as his head dropped with an exaggerated expression of slack-jawed, wide-eyed disbelief.

Squall couldn't help but chuckle at the exchange. "In any case, I'm impressed," he said, looking around the room again. "And glad that Selphie's on our side, now that I think about it."

"Is someone talking about me?" a chipper voice called out, and the Chief of Garden Intelligence joined the trio a moment later. "I heard my name; are you three gossiping about me? And if so, is it anything juicy?"

"Hey, Sylph!" Zell laughed. "Naw, girl; Squall here was just talking about you behind your back."

"R-Really?" Selphie's smile faltered but she quickly kicked it back into place.

"Knock it off, Z," Squall protested with a shove to the cackling martial artist's shoulder, then looked over at Selphie. "Miss Regal had just reminded me that Trabia Garden's good at tactics, which made me realize that you'd have to be good at it, too, which made me glad that you're on our side."

"Thanks," she giggled, but then her face fell as her eyes refocused in the direction of the entrance. "Oh…"

"What's the matter…?" Zell asked, trying to see where she was looking. "Whoa; I can't believe he actually came…"

Irvine Kinneas stood just inside the entrance to the dance hall, surprisingly alone. Apparently he noticed them because he touched his fingers to the brim of his ever-present cowboy hat before making his way over to one of the many buffet tables. He had his usual cocky grin, though it looked…subdued.

Squall was so caught up in the sight of the less-than-confident sharpshooter that he didn't notice the couple approaching from behind. "Good evening everyone," a throaty, female voice purred, and Squall jumped as he turned to find Quistis and Zone behind him; while she wore the SeeD uniform as expected, Zone had somehow managed to afford a nice, dark-blue suit with a white shirt, complete with a thin, black tie.

"Qui-Qui!" Selphie cried as she threw herself at her friend. "I'm so glad you two came!"

As the girls squealed over each other, Zone extended a hand to the Garden commander. "Squall, good to see you again."

"You too, Abe," Squall replied with a warm smile as they shook hands. "Have things settled down in Timber, yet?"

"Finally!" the former Timber Owl exclaimed with a laugh. "Things are still kinda hairy in Deling, though; a lot of people have needed therapy after Edea's…no, Ultimecia's spell."

"I can imagine." Squall knew what the other man was referring to; during Sorceress Edea's speech to the Galbadians she had used a form of a mind-control spell to pacify the crowd and make them more receptive to her angry and hate-filled words. "Having your mind messed with like that? I'm just glad I was focused on my job."

"H-Hi…"

"Rinoa!" Selphie squealed, her attention abruptly shifting from the tall blonde to the raven-haired sorceress. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Th-Thank you…" the sorceress replied as she accepted a kiss on the cheek from the overly-excited girl. "I'm…glad you're not mad at me."

"What happened, happened," Selphie replied as she hugged her friend. "I'm just glad you're better now."

"'Sup, Tiss!" Zell called to the young woman standing just behind Rinoa. "Here to give your new leg a test drive?"

"Absolutely, Chief!" Tisky replied happily as she gave her restored leg a couple of pats. "In fact, I'm looking forward to it."

"You two seem to be getting along well," Sally remarked. "Is it because of…? You know…"

"If you're talking about when Miss Rinoa healed my leg, then yes," Tisky confirmed. "But I consider her one of my best friends now, now that I've gotten to know her better."

"How wonderful," Sally replied warmly as she unconsciously snuggled her man's arm.

"Hey, is this a private party, or can anyone join?" Dawn said as she and James joined them, both in uniform.

"Mr. Barton," Squall greeted with a warm smile as he reached out to shake hands with the gunslinger. "I know it's only been a few hours, but it's good to see you again."

"Thank you, sir; likewise," James replied as he accepted the proffered hand. He then stepped close enough for only Squall to hear his next words: "Are you better, sir? I don't mean to pry, but-"

"I'm fine, thanks," Squall replied, grateful that the background noise was enough to mute their conversation to the others.

"Excellent, sir," James replied as he stepped away, giving Squall his precious space back. "I do hope you have a good time this evening."

"I'll…do my best," the young commander replied, touched by his subordinate's concern and well-wishes.

"I'm going to go get something to eat, if no one minds," Selphie said as she took hold of Squall's arm, only to quickly release it again. "Anyone want to come with?"

"I'll go," Sally and Dawn replied almost as one before exchanging awkward smiles.

"Um, okay…" Selphie said, sounding a little less enthusiastic.

"I'll come, too," Rinoa said with her hand raised, then turned to her new friend. "Do you want to come, Tisky?"

To Selphie's relief, Dawn and Sally weren't the only ones to join her; Rinoa, Tisky, and Quistis also went along, leaving the men to 'fend for themselves' as Quistis jokingly put it as she departed with the others.

Squall still had difficulties with large groups of people, so as the other men headed over to one of the many buffet tables and the room continued to fill he made his way to a corner of the room and planted himself there in preparation for an evening of avoidance. He experienced a bout of déjà vu as a female server carrying a tray of drinks stopped to hand him one before moving on. He felt a little refreshed as the sparkling water cooled his nerves along with his throat.

"E-Excuse me, commander…?"

Squall lowered his glass to find a female in the candidate uniform squirming before him. She looked familiar, but… "Yes, Candidate…? I'm sorry; you look familiar, but I'm having trouble remembering your name."

"It's Brisbane, sir. Kara Brisbane. I tried to give you the Elixir after you saved me – I mean, us – from the second floor when it collapsed." She knotted her fingers and shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she glanced up at him repeatedly.

"W-Well, Candidate Brisbane…" Squall started, stuttering slightly as he noticed that one of her feet was turned inward and remembered what Zell had said about it, "…what can I do for you?"

Kara flashed a hesitant smile up at him before she opened her mouth…

* * *

"Whoa, you should try this!" Selphie exclaimed as she held a small sausage in front of Quistis' face. "It's cooked in barbecue sauce!"

"Yes, Selphie, thank you," Quistis chuckled before allowing the hyper girl to stick the morsel in her mouth.

"I was thinking of getting some of those and some carrots for balance," Selphie giggled as she started to fill her plate. "And if I have any room after that, I'll-"

"Um, chief…?"

Something about the way the Sally addressed her superior drew everyone's attention, and everyone in the group looked over to see Sally staring off toward the opposite side of the room; even with all the people present, it was still possible to catch a glimpse of the other side of the room every now and then. "Is something wrong, Sally?" Dawn asked as she followed her friend's gaze to find… "Oh, shit…"

"Language, please," Quistis admonished as she, too, followed Sally's gaze. "Oh, no…"

"What's going on?" Selphie chirped just before biting down on a carrot. "What'sh…" Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of Squall talking with… "N-No…" she breathed, the uneaten part of her forgotten carrot tumbling from her mouth to the floor. "N-No…"

"She said she was gonna do it…" Dawn murmured, more to herself than anyone else.

"Selphie…" Rinoa's expression was one of firm resolution as she moved to stand before the distraught girl to take her by the hands. "What are you going to do? Are you going to just let her take him like that?"

"R-Rinoa…?" Selphie turned agony-filled eyes on Squall's ex-girlfriend. "Why…Why are you asking me that? Don't you want him back, too?"

"I've…burned my bridges with him," Rinoa said with a voice filled with regret, tears spilling from her eyes even as she tried to hold the other girl's gaze. "But you have a chance! Are you going to give up on him that easily?"

"You said that you thought the two of you would be a great fit," Dawn pointed out, moving to the edge of Selphie's periphery.

"But-!" The distressed girl covered her face with her hands. "I shouldn't get in the way of his happiness!"

"And how do you know that you couldn't be part of his happiness?" Sally pressed.

"I… P-Please…l-l-leave me alone…" Selphie whimpered before breaking into a run toward the nearest exit, trying desperately to ignore the concerned looks sent her way.

* * *

Squall internally cringed as he tried to think of a way out of the conversation with the starry-eyed candidate; it was pretty clear where she was trying to steer it. "That's… Um, good for you, Miss Brisbane."

"Oh please, sir; p-please call me 'Kara'. She clasped her hands behind her back, accentuating her ample bosom as she smiled up at him. "Sir, I was hoping that…"

A movement from the other side of the room drew Squall's attention as he noticed a familiar form hurrying toward the exit. "Selphie…?"

"S-Sir?"

He narrowed his eyes at the departing figure; there was no mistaking the impossibly-bouncy hair, but…was she covering her face with her hands? "I'm sorry Miss Kara, but something's come up. Please excuse me." Without waiting for a reply he hurried toward the exit himself, stopping briefly to hand his glass to a passing server. "Thank you."

"Have a pleasant evening, sir," the server replied to his retreating form before returning to his duties.

Across the room, Squall's abrupt departure was noticed by the other men. "Where's the commander going?" James asked, gesturing to the exit doors.

"Aw, he probably just needs some space," Zell replied as he added another hot dog to his already-impressive pile. "He's not big on parties. Or big groups of people, for that matter."

"I dunno," Zone chimed in, scratching his cheek. "He seemed like he was in an awful hurry."

"Zell!"

The young man in question looked up to find his girlfriend hurrying toward him with the other girls in tow. "S'matter, Megalicious?" he grinned as he added yet another hot dog to his plate. "Don't worry; I'm leaving enough for everyone."

His smile faltered, however, when Sally grabbed his arm with a look of distress. "The chie-I mean, Selphie saw Squall talking with…with…"

"…one of his admirers," Dawn chimed in.

"Oh, crud…" Zell grunted, his eyes briefly losing focus. He quickly turned to Zone and thrust his plate out at him, nearly dumping the pile of hog dogs. "Could you track this for me, homes? I gotta jet."

"I'll take care of it," a familiar yet unexpected voice declared.

"Oh, hey Irvine," Zone greeted as he held one side of Zell's plate. "Enjoying the party?"

"Yeah, thanks." The sharpshooter took a step closer to fix his gaze on the marital artist. "Listen; you let me take care of Squall and Selphie, all right?"

Zell was about to protest, but something about the haunted look in the other man's eyes… "Sure, dawg; they're all yours."

"Zell?" Sally tugged at his shirt, worry in her eyes. "No disrespect intended, but isn't he the-"

"It's cool, Sally," Zell replied, surprising her with the proper use of her name as he looked back to the cowboy. "Go do your thing, man."

Irvine nodded once, then touched his fingertips to the brim of his hat before jogging out the exit.

"Are you certain that was wise?" Quistis asked. "You know his history; how do you know he won't make things worse."

"I can't explain it," Zell admitted with an awkward chuckle as he took his plate back from Zone. "But…I got this feeling that he wants to be part of someone's happy ending…even if it isn't his."


	19. Revelations

**Chapter Nineteen: Revelations**

"Where is Chief Tilmitt?"

"I don't know, sir."

"I haven't seen here recently, sir."

"I'm sorry, Commander; I'm new here."

"I think I saw her running that way, but after that…? Sorry, sir."

Squall grunted some form of gratitude as he jogged away from yet another dead end. What could have upset the normally-cheerful girl to the point where she had to leave the room the way she did? Squall grimaced as he remembered her attempts to put on a happy front when he found her at her friends' graveyard. "What happened to that when Trabia garden was restored, anyway?" he mused, his pace slowing briefly before he shook his head to refocus.

* * *

The distraught young woman looked from the balcony across the snowy landscape of Trabia as she absently pushed a bouncy lock of sandy-brown hair from her emerald eyes, eyes that glittered from the tears that were finally starting to subside.

"Selphie, dear?"

The girl in question jumped at the sudden voice, sniffling and wiping an eye with the back of her hand as she turned to her visitor. "H-Hello, Matron," she greeted, then winced at the hiccup in her voice. "What can I do for you?"

Edea smiled lovingly with her hands folded before her chest at as she slowly approached her 'daughter'. "I think I should be asking you that question, sweetheart. What's the matter? When you ran past Cid and me in the hallway without saying 'hello' we figured that something must be wrong."

"I-I'm sorry," Selphie replied as she tried to fight back the tears that threatened to form once again. "I meant no disrespect."

"Oh, I'm not worried about that right now," Edea crooned as she took the trembling girl into her arms. "Right now, what's important is whatever it is that's troubling you. If it makes you feel better, I'll scold you about your manners later."

Selphie barked a laugh as she allowed herself to snuggle into the familiar bosom. "It's just..."

* * *

"I'm sorry, sir; I haven't seen her."

Squall cursed under his breath, his frustration nearing the level of anger as he cursed his ignorance of Trabia Garden's layout. He couldn't think of anyplace else to-

"Commander!"

Squall stopped short as Irvine jogged up to him. "Sorry Irvine, I can't talk right now; I'm looking for Selphie."

The sharpshooter stopped in front of him, panting lightly. "Yeah, that's why I'm here, boss; I know where she is."

Squall flicked an annoyed gaze to the other man. "Where?" he demanded. "Where is she?"

"It's kinda hard to explain," Irvine replied as she turned back to the way he had come. "Just follow me, 'k?"

Squall grunted a sigh as he jogged after him.

* * *

"Does it have to do with Squall?"

Wide eyes flicked up to the matron's wise ones. "How…How did you know?"

"Cid and I have been watching," Edea replied as she began to stroke the younger woman's hair. "And we've been talking as well. It's not hard to see how fond of him you've become. Perhaps that fondness was there longer than you realize."

"No…" Selphie said, her eyes losing focus. "I know exactly when it started; when I ran into him on my first day at Balamb Garden."

"You ran into him?" Edea repeated, amused.

"Y-Yeah…" Selphie chuckled as she brought the back of her hand to her eyes again. "All I was missing was the piece of toast in my mouth to finish the trope."

Edea didn't know what a 'trope' was, but decided that it wasn't worth interrupting the girl's flow just to find out. "What happened next?"

"He…asked me if I was okay and showed me the guide board; you know, the one near the entrance?"

"Ah, yes," Edea replied, deliberately keeping her voice warm and inviting even though it came naturally to her. "And you fell in love with him back then?"

"Yeah, but I didn't know it at the time," Selphie admitted as she rested her head on her precious matron's shoulder. "And I wouldn't call it 'falling in love' exactly; it's more like…" She suddenly pulled away so she could look the other woman in the eye, though she held her hands. "I want to be there for Squall. I want to support him. I want to be his smile when he loses his. And, like Sally said; I want to be the soft place for him to fall when he's had a bad day."

"But my dear…" Edea replied, releasing a hand to press hers against the side of her daughter's face, "…that's what being in love is; wanting to be there for the other person, wanting the best for the other, putting that special someone's needs before your own."

"Squall has given so much…" Selphie hiccupped, the tears starting to flow again. "And I want to give him as much as he's given to us."

* * *

Squall nearly collided with Irvine, who had stopped in front of what appeared to be an alcove along the hallway. "It's easy to miss if you're not looking for it," Irvine said as he pointed down an unusually narrow passage that led off from the main hallway.

"Then how did you know it was there?" Squall challenged.

The sharpshooter gave him an awkward grin. "I, uh... After you hauled ass outta there, I checked the Garden map in the main lobby."

"They have one there?" Squall puzzled. "I never saw it."

"You were probably trying to get away from the masses of admirers," Irvine teased, unaware that his comment was closer to the truth than he would probably ever know. "Anyway, I saw the balcony and figured that's where she'd be."

"Thanks."

"Listen…" Irvine stopped Squall with a gentle yet firm grip to his arm as the latter took a step toward the side hallway. "…I know this'll sound weird coming from me, but…take good care of her, all right?"

Squall half-turned to look back at the ladies' man. "Um, sure, but… Why do you say that?"

"Don't worry about it," Irvine replied, shifting his grip to gently push Squall in the direction of the hallway. "Just do it, all right?"

Squall gave him one more puzzled look, then gave a brisk nod before pulling away to jog down the narrow hallway in hopes of finding his distressed friend.

As he watched his boss hurry away, Irvine crossed his arms with an approving nod. "I know you will, man." He then turned to head back to the Quad, brushing the backs of his hands against his eyes as he left.

* * *

"Do you feel better now, dear?" Edea gently asked as her 'daughter' wiped her eyes yet again.

"Much," Selphie giggled, though she still sniffled a few more times.

"I think it's long past time you told him about your feelings," Edea advised, though her tone was still gentle. "Perhaps you could-"

"Selphie?!"

The young woman froze at the familiar voice, terror and longing welling up in her chest and fighting for dominance. "M-Matron…?"

"Now might be a good time, dear," Edea said soothingly as she cupped her daughter's face one last time before moving to the exit from the balcony. "Good luck." Partway down the hallway, she came across Squall headed the other direction. "Good evening Squall. Are you looking for Selphie?"

"Yes, Matron," he replied as he gave his mother figure a hug. "Irvine told me that she's down here."

"He is correct," she replied, stepping aside to make room for her son to pass. "She is on the balcony at the end of this hallway."

"Thank you. Please excuse me," Squall replied, nodding his head in a bow before dashing down the hallway.

Edea smiled to herself as she headed to the main hallway and found her husband waiting for her. "I take it everything went fine," he remarked.

Her smiled was tinged with the sadness of a mother about to give her daughter away to a very lucky young man. "They will be happy together," she declared, though the tremor in her voice was hard to miss.

Cid smiled lovingly at his wife before taking her in his arms to let her grieve the 'loss' of two of her children. Their children.

* * *

Squall hesitantly approached the lone figure standing with her back to him by the balcony wall. "Selphie? Are you okay?"

"I'm...I'm fine…" came the timid response.

He carefully reached out and took hold of her shoulder to try and turn her toward him, only to find that she wouldn't budge so he stepped up to her side to try to see her face. "Are you sure you're okay? I saw you running from the party, and you looked really upset."

"You… You saw?" She turned and looked up at him in surprise, and his eyes widened at the wetness he found on her cheeks.

He knew it could only be due to one person. "Irvine did this to you, didn't he?" Squall nearly demanded. "I swear, when we get back to Balamb, I'm going to-"

"NO!" she yelled, her face paler than usual. "Irvine had nothing to do with it, really!"

"Then who did this to you?" Squall demanded, taking her by the shoulders to make her face him. "TELL-!" He caught himself, realizing that he was shouting at the victim, and took a deep breath as he forced his temper in check. "Sorry about that, Selphie. Please, tell me who did this to you."

Selphie choked back a sob. "I did."

Squall opened his mouth to promise vengeance on the perpetrator, then blinked as her words sunk in. "Wait…. You did?"

She nodded as a fresh stream of tears started to flow. "I'm sorry to worry you, but when I saw Kara talking to you…? It just got to be too much."

Squall shook his head, completely confused. "I'm…sorry, I don't understand; what got to be too much?"

"Squall…" She somehow sighed and chuckled at the same time before drawing a deep breath as she reached out to rest a hand on his cheek. "I want to be there for you," she told him, starting what had become her mantra of sorts, "I want to support you. I want to be your smile when you lose yours. I-I…" She sputtered into awkward giggles at the sight of his shocked expression. "I-I want to be the soft place for you to fall when you've had a bad day."

Squall's wide-eyed expression was otherwise unreadable as he stumbled backward a couple of steps, his hands dropping from her shoulders as one made its way to his forehead. "Wh-What are you saying?"

"Oh Squall, you big oaf," she giggled sympathetically through her tears. "You've always had trouble with stuff like this, haven't you?" She closed the distance between them to lay a hand on his chest. "Squall? I just wanted to tell you how I feel; I don't expect you to do anything right now except listen, okay?"

"O-Okay…" Squall managed through the tightness in his chest.

Feeling emboldened by his response as well as having the weight of her confession removed from her shoulders, she took another step toward him. "Do you remember my first day at Balamb Garden? When I accidentally ran into you on the second floor?"

Due to the turmoil of his thoughts, it took more effort than usual for him to remember. "Yeah; it was a long time ago, but yeah, I do."

"That was when it started, even though I didn't realize it until recently," she explained as she gazed up into his puzzled expression. "And as we fought alongside each other in Dollet and during the Timber mission, and-"

"Wait…Wait a minute," Squall protested, holding up a hand and trying to get some kind of control of the conversation. "If you've felt this way all along, then why did you go along with pushing me and Rinoa together?"

Selphie suddenly cast her gaze to the floor, absently tapping the toe of one of her shoes against the concrete. "Well… Like I said, I didn't realize my own feelings at the time. I remember feeling a flutter when Irvine tried to hit on me on the way to Deling, but…it wasn't the same as how I'd feel when I'd think of you. And then, when you let me lead the team to the missile base…"

Squall twitched as he remembered the relief he felt when Selphie crawled out of the wreckage of the Galbadian war machine back at Fisherman's Horizon. "I…believed that you could do it."

"For all the good it did," she scoffed, glancing to the side with a frown, but she quickly returned a smile to his face. "Anyway, my point is that it wasn't any one thing that caused me to…to…"

"I think I get the idea," Squall replied softly, guilt nagging him over all the potentially missed cues. "Sorry if I was dense."

"You weren't," she replied, her brown curls waving with the shake of her head. "It just took me a long time to figure myself out, so I'll understand if you need time to think about this."

Something about the way she looked at him, the glitter in her emerald eyes… Squall cleared his throat. "Thanks for…for being so open with me. I'll, um…do my best to-"

Squall's communicator chirped, ruining the mood, and Selphie giggled at his annoyed expression as he reached inside his uniform jacket to press the button on his communicator. "Squall here."

"_Hey, boss?"_ Irvine's voice sounded from the communicator. _"Could you come back to the Quad, like, really soon?"_

"Is something wrong?" Squall asked as he exchanged a worried look with his friend.

"_Not…exactly…"_ Irvine replied evasively. _"Just that something big's about to go down and you won't want to miss it."_

"Acknowledged," Squall replied, switching the worried look for a puzzled one. "Selphie and I will be there in two."

"_We'll hold the fort until you get here,"_ Irvine replied, sounding amused. _"Kinneas out."_

"Leonhart out." Squall tapped his communicator again to close the channel, then jerked his head toward the exit. "Let's go."

"Right behind you, you big stud," Selphie replied, giggling as his stride faltered as they ran from the balcony and headed to the Quad.


	20. Recognitions

**Chapter Twenty: Recognitions**

Squall burst into the Quad and immediately started to look around, scanning for trouble. What he found was… "What the…?"

"What's going on?" Selphie panted as she caught up with him. "Is everyone all right?"

"Hey, you two!" Zell called through a microphone as he stood on the platform at one side of the room; it had been set up along with a sound system for Sally's promotion ceremony as well as awards for Selphie and James for their contributions in the restoration of Trabia Garden. "We've been waiting for you!"

"Us?" Squall replied, fully aware that his hotheaded friend likely wouldn't hear him.

"Do you know what he's talking about?" Selphie asked him.

"Not a clue," Squall murmured as they exchanged puzzled looks.

"Are we ready for a proposal?!" Zell hollered, and the crowd roared their approval.

Cid, who was standing not too far away from the platform, turned to the other headmaster. "Jonas, do you know anything about this?"

"Hey, they're your staff," Headmaster Winn chuckled with his hands raised. "I'm just as much in the dark as you apparently are."

Meanwhile, Squall had started to work his way toward Zell to find out what was going on when he, along with Selphie, were stopped by a voice calling out, "Hey! Are the commander and Chief Tilmitt getting married?" His stomach slithered to his shoes as the crowd roared their approval yet again, and he turned to check on his friend to find her with her face covered, though what he could see of her face was scarlet. "Come on," he said, trying to make himself heard over the din as he reached out toward her. "Let's go."

In light of their recent conversation, he wasn't surprised in the least to see an embarrassed smile on her face as she partly uncovered her face to take his hand. "O-Okay…"

"Oh, so you think it's Squall and Selphie, huh? Heh heh heh…" Zell asked, imitating a cartoon villain's laugh as he regained everyone's attention. "Sorry, but not this time." He pulled a small box out of his uniform trouser pocket and held it up over his head. "Sal Gal? Get up here, wouldja?"

"She's in the bathroom," someone called out, causing a wave of laughter to rise from the crowd; even Cid and Jonas exchanged amused grins.

Zell dropped the arm holding the box to his side. "Seriously, guys? Y'all'd do me dirty like that?"

"ZELL!" a voice cried, nearly literally as Sally pushed her way through the crowd, though everyone did their best to get out of her way.

"Hey, make a hole there, make a hole," Zell ordered, causing students, SeeDs, and staff to quickly move out of the hysterical girl's path, granting her smooth passage to the platform and her boyfriend. "Thanks, homes."

"Z-Zell…?" Sally stammered, her voice barely discernible through the sound system. "Are you doing what I think you're doing?"

"Maybe," he quipped with a shrug of one shoulder. "Listen, doll-face; we've been together for a long time, right?"

"Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, yes…" she whimpered, her hands flying to her mouth as the tears started. "Ohmygosh…"

"Cool," he said with an affectionate smile, "but gimme a minute to tell everyone how awesome you are."

"Zell, don't…" she whimpered again as she took hold of his arm while casting embarrassed glances toward their audience.

"See, I first met Sally during the…the trouble with that NORG dude. Now I get that we may have met before then, but that's the first time I remember meeting her, ya dig?"

An appreciative chuckle rose from the audience along with a few 'We dig's.

"So she gave me a Mega Phoenix, and that's why I'll call her 'Meg' or 'Megalicious' or-"

"Zell!" Sally squeaked, quickly clapping a hand over his mouth. "P-Please!"

"Mmmm; Phorry," he grunted from behind her hand. After she removed it he continued. "Sorry about that; lost my head and got into too-personal territory. Sorry, babe. Point is; I give her nicks because of that. Anyway, where was I…? Oh! Yeah! And then later on she gave me a totally fresh copy of Combat King and said some really bonus things about me, and you know what? It kinda hit me, right? So after the hotdog eating contest she and I started talking and found out we had a lot in common." He reached out and gave his petite girlfriend's arm a gentle squeeze. "Can you believe this little thing does Duel?" He cocked his head with an exaggerated look of surprise, drawing another round of appreciative laughter from the crowd. "She kicks major butt, too."

"He sure is the showman, isn't he?" Selphie giggled as she and Squall leaned side-by-side against the far wall.

"He's always liked attention," Squall remarked with an amused grunt and a small smile. "Like Seifer, but without the arrogance."

"True," she replied with another giggle.

"Yeah, well, my arrogance is warranted." Squall winced at the familiar tone, and he and Selphie looked as one to find Seifer with his arms crossed and trademark smirk, leaning against the wall on Squall's other side; on his other side were Raijin and Fujin. "Don't forget, Squall; tonight."

"Maybe he has other plans, Seifer," Selphie nearly snarled. "You even think of that?"

"Are you ever going to let him speak for himself?" Seifer counter-snarled. "Shit, I know you're crazy about the guy, but he's still his own man, right?"

She stopped short of a response. "Y…You're right," she replied, hanging her head. "Sorry, Squall."

"Why do you want to fight me so badly?" Squall asked, trying to ignore the fact that his rival somehow knew about Selphie's feelings. "Haven't you had enough of that already?"

The blonde-haired youth scoffed as he pushed himself from the wall, his posse following suit. "Who the hell said I wanted to fight you?" And with a wave of his hand the former Disciplinary Committee headed toward the exit.

"Then what was that about crossing Gunblades…?" Selphie wondered aloud as they watched his retreating form.

A roar from the crowd drew Squall's attention again, and he looked up to the platform to see Zell holding the small box from earlier out toward Sally, whose hands had resumed covering her astonished expression. "Sally Regal; with everything I am, I totally dig you. Marry me?"

No one could hear her reply, but the excited nod and the sight of her throwing her arms around his neck gave everyone present a pretty good idea.

* * *

"That was fun!" Zell gushed as he reclined in his seat; next to him, Sally's face nearly looked like it was on fire, blushing from all the attention they'd been getting from all the well-wishers. "We should do that again sometime!"

"Z-Zell!" Sally squeaked, covering her face yet again. "Y-You can only propose once!"

"Says who?" Zell said as he started to get to his feet.

"Oh, no you don't!" she cried as she pulled her cackling fiancée back into his seat. "Once is plenty, you!"

"Leave her alone, Zell," Squall chuckled from across the table. "I think she's had enough attention for the year. Or lifetime."

"Yes, sir!" Zell replied with a jaunty salute. "Commencing operation 'Leave Her Alone'!"

From her seat next to Squall, Selphie giggled at the exchange, though her mirth faded as she glanced over at Squall. Even though her feelings for her friend seemed so new, they really weren't, and she found herself wishing that she knew of some way to…to…

"At this time, Commander Leonhart will medal those instrumental to the reconstruction of our beloved Garden," Headmaster Winn announced as he gestured toward Squall. "Commander, if you would…?"

Everyone applauded as Squall got up from his seat and gestured toward Selphie, who blinked up at him in surprise before getting to her feet as well to follow him up to the makeshift stage. Once he had clipped on the wireless microphone he tapped it a couple of times as though to test the volume before speaking. "James Barton; would you join us, please?"

Cheers erupted from the crowd as a single figure rose and started toward the stage, and James moved to where Squall pointed, next to Selphie. "Ch-Chief…" he greeted.

"Don't worry," she said, her voice trembling. "I'm nervous as well."

"Chief of Intelligence Selphie Tilmitt," Squall announced as a young man in SeeD uniform brought a small box up to him, "on behalf of the staff and faculty of Trabia and Balamb Gardens and for your contributions to the restoration of Trabia Garden, I have the honor of awarding you the Garden Medal of Heroism." He took out the first medal and moved to stand in front of Selphie.

She shuddered, her blood feeling cold as Squall's hands reached out with the cloth cord, from which hung the golden medallion; from her perspective it easily looked as though he was reaching out to take her in his arms. "Th-Thank you, commander," she stammered as she forced her legs to not buckle.

Squall smiled down at her as the award settled onto her neck and chest, and he took a step back to snap a salute. Still reeling from his touch, she somehow managed to respond in kind.

Squall dropped the salute and moved to stand next to the extremely nervous young man next to Selphie. "SeeD James Barton," Squall said as he took the other medal from the box and moved to stand before his trembling subordinate, "on behalf of the staff and faculty of Trabia and Balamb Gardens and for your contributions to the restoration of Trabia Garden, I have the honor of awarding you the Garden Medal of Heroism." As he extended his arms to medal the younger man he added, "In addition to this Medal of Heroism, you are to be promoted four SeeD ranks, effective from the date of Trabia Garden's restoration."

James' eyes widened and his mouth fell open in disbelief, but he recovered in time to return his commander's salute. "Th-Thank you, sir!" he exclaimed as the audience cheered.

"You've earned it, Mr. Barton," Headmaster Jonas replied form the side as he and Headmaster Cid applauded along with everyone else.

Squall allowed himself smile as he turned to address the crowd again. "Company; atten-tion"

All SeeDs and student immediately snapped to attention, the applause abruptly ending as though someone had flipped a switch.

"Sa-lute!"

As everyone saluted the heroes of Trabia Garden, Selphie started to openly cry, though she managed to hold her military bearing; next to her, James was repeatedly clearing his throat.

"At…ease!" Squall ordered. Once he saw that everyone had complied, he said, "Relax."

"Not just yet."

Squall snapped his gaze to find Cid with a sly grin. "Sir?"

"Don't think you're going to get out of this without some kind of recognition, Commander," Balamb Garden's headmaster said in an admonishing tone.

"Agreed," Trabia's headmaster seconded.

It had genuinely not occurred to Squall that, as the commander of the mission, he would qualify for a medal as well. "I appreciate that, gentlemen, but I only had the two made."

The two Garden headmasters exchanged an amused glance. "We figured that would be the case," Cid replied, "so we had one ordered up for you."

"And thanks to our Chief of Intelligence, we've invited the perfect representative to medal you," Jonas added, then gestured to the opposite end of the platform.

Squall turned with a furrowed brow to look behind him, and his eyes widened at the sight of…. "S-Sis?"

"Hello, Squall," Ellone greeted with a finger-wave as she elegantly glided over to him. "It's been a long time."

He had to swallow a lump in his throat before he could speak again. "H-How have you been?"

She smiled fondly at her younger brother. "We can talk about that later; right now, I'm here to give you a medal." As Squall watched, she turned to accept the medal from the same SeeD that had brought the others before turning back to him with a slightly awkward smile. "I may not get this exactly right, but I'll do my best."

Squall simply nodded, unable to contain his smile; next to him, Selphie's hand went to her chest in response to a pang of jealousy.

"Commander Squall Leonhart," she said as she raised her hands to loop the medal around his neck, "on behalf of the staff and faculty of Trabia and Balamb Gardens and for your contributions to the restoration of Trabia Garden, I have the honor of awarding you the Garden Medal of Heroism." As she lowered her hands to clasp them before her she added, her voice barely above a whisper, "Thank you, Squall…for everything." She took a step back and started to raise her hand, but then quickly dropped it. "I'm sorry; I don't know how to salute."

"That's okay," Squall replied, smile still plastered on his face as he snapped a salute of his own.

Ellone giggled behind her hand, then stepped forward again to hug her younger brother. "I'm so proud of you," she whispered in his ear.

He barely noticed the 'awwww's that rose from the assembled SeeDs and students as he lowered his arm to reciprocate her hug; everyone knew enough about Squall's history and that the girl in his arms was very important to him. Several of the females, however, looked to the Chief of Intelligence with worried expressions; the more perceptive girls recognized the forced smile and slight trembling of her limbs.

"There's one more surprise visitor," Ellone said as she pulled away from her brother. She then looked back to the end of the platform from which she had come. "Uncle Laguna?"

Squall's breath caught in his throat and fury suddenly reddened his vision as President Laguna Loire appeared, waving to the appreciative audience as they cheered. _What the hell is __he__ doing here?_


	21. Awkward Reunion

**Chapter Twenty-One: Awkward Reunion**

The young commander sat in a desk within one of Trabia Garden's many classrooms, with his elbows resting on his knees and his face buried in his hands. Around him, concerned faces watched him, occasionally exchanging worried glances with each other.

"Dude, it's not as bad as you think it is," Zell said softly, trying to be as comforting as he could. "I mean, Sal Gal's already told you it's cool."

"I know," Squall muffled into his hands. "I guess…it just surprised me." He raised his head to meet Sally's compassionate gaze. "I still don't think I should have let it affect me the way it did, though."

"Oh, for goodness' sake," Quistis sighed as Zone looked on. "You've always been like this; you think that negative reactions are all you are."

"Hey!" Selphie protested, hopping up from her spot at Squall's side to stand between him and Quistis. "Don't say things like that! The last thing a hurting person needs is to be scolded!"

"But Squall's the only one hurting Squall right now," Quistis pointed out.

Selphie opened her mouth to speak again, only to be stopped by Squall's touch to her arm. "It's fine, Selphie; she's right," he told her. "I do set the bar pretty high for myself."

"But-"

"What bothered me most about it is that it affected Miss Regal's promotion ceremony," he continued, interrupting her follow-up protest.

"But it didn't, dude," Zell insisted. "Look, I get that seeing him all-of-a-sudden like that was a downer for you, but you were so high from seeing Ellone that it actually brought you down to something more like normal."

Squall managed to snort a chuckle. "Yeah, I think I see what you mean. Thanks, Z."

"No prob!" the martial artist replied with his typical confident grin.

"Squall?"

Squall looked up to Selphie, who had turned to face him with a worried expression. "It's like he said; I'd gotten worked up and suddenly crashed."

"F-For what it's worth, I agree," Sally added timidly as she twirled her pigtail over her shoulder. "You looked really c-cool when you were announcing my promotion."

The classroom door quietly slid open, and everyone looked over to see Ellone standing in the open doorway. "Am…Am I interrupting?"

"No way!" Zell exclaimed as he and Squall quickly rose to his feet. "C'mon in!"

She accepted hugs from all her orphanage siblings before finally turning concerned eyes on her favorite. "Squall, are you okay?"

"I'm…kinda embarrassed," he scoffed awkwardly as he ran his fingers through his hair, "but I think I'm all right."

She smiled fondly at him, the way an older sister should. "He wants to talk to you, you know."

Squall snapped his intense gaze to her serene one. "He does? Why?"

"He knows that you have questions, and…" She ducked her head shyly. "…he does, too."

Squall sighed, feeling the anger finally starting to drain from his being. "Where is he?"

"He's back in the Quad, talking with Cid and the other headmaster," she said, gestured back to the classroom door. "But since he could see that you…" She paused to choose her next words carefully. "…weren't exactly pleased to see him, he asked me to come to you on his behalf."

Squall reflexively bristled at the man's cowardice before reason kicked in; of course Laguna wouldn't want to potentially needlessly provoke him, so it made sense to send someone they both trusted. "All right, fair enough. Sorry."

"It's quite all right," she said with a delicate giggle.

"Where does he want to meet?"

Ellone gestured to the door again. "There's an exterior balcony on the second floor; he would like to meet with you there if that's acceptable."

Squall internally cringed; if she was referring to the spot he thought she was, it would be where Selphie had effectively confessed to him earlier in the evening. "Could we…? No, that's fine," he said; he'd thought of asking about changing the venue, but he realized that it was his discomfort trying to take over. "What time?"

"He was hoping for nine-o-clock," she replied, then giggled. "That'd be twenty-one-hundred hours, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," he replied, chuckling along with her. "Fine; twenty-one-hundred hours on the second-floor exterior balcony."

"Thank you, Squall," she said, her trademark gentle smile returning. "If it's any consolation, he's anxious about it as well."

Squall suddenly remembered that the two of them were not alone, and cleared his throat as he cast his gaze elsewhere. "Th-Thanks for letting me know."

"You're welcome." She stepped up to him and hopped on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so happy to see you again." With that, she waved as she left the room, the door sliding shut behind her.

Zell, as usual, was the first to break the silence. "Well that was pretty cool; wish she'd hung out with us, though."

"I imagine she feels like a bit of an outsider," Quistis noted. "After all, we've worked together this whole time, while she's worked alone. She's supported us, sure, but from a distance."

"And it's not the same as having her right here with us," Zell grunted. "Man, that sucks; we need to get her on the team."

"I can't imagine her fighting, though," Selphie giggled in spite of a nagging jealousy due to the kiss. "I mean, could you see her laying into a Grat?"

"Maybe with a good tongue-lashing!" Zell quipped, drawing laughter from the others.

Squall chuckled along with them before his expression grew serious at the thought of his upcoming conversation with the president of Esthar… His father.

* * *

Selphie accompanied Squall as he traveled to the second floor and his meeting with Laguna. "Are you okay, Squall?"

He glanced over at her with a smile tinged with anxiety. "You know, it was easier when he was giving us instructions on how to kill Ultimecia."

"You're nervous, then?" It was more of a statement than a question.

He glanced over at her open and honest expression and allowed his guard to drop more than usual. "I don't know how to explain it; for some reason, I'm kinda worried that he'll be disappointed with me, with the way I've turned out."

"He could've stuck around instead of running off the way he did," she pointed out as they ascended the stairs. "He could have been a positive influence in your life."

"He was looking for Ellone," Squall protested with the wave of an arm. "I can't fault him for that. Shoot, I'm the one who thought that I had to beat Seifer or I'd never get to see her again."

Selphie licked her lips. "Squall, may I make a suggestion?"

Squall blinked in surprise before glancing her way yet again. "Um, sure."

She took a deep breath. "I think you're overthinking your situation with him. As far as the rest of us are concerned, you've done really well and have grown a lot since becoming a SeeD, both professionally and personally. As hard as it is for me to say…" She winced in anticipation of his reaction. "…if it turns out that he's disappointed in you, it seems to me that it would say more about him than it would about you."

Squall's eyes lost focus as they finished climbing the stairs and started toward the narrow hallway that led to the balcony. "I think you're right, but…it's still going to bother me."

"That's okay," she giggled as she gave his arm a brief squeeze. "You're basically meeting your father for the first time, right? I think anyone'd be nervous about that."

He allowed a chuckle as they reached the entrance to the side hallway. "Thanks." He didn't move from there, though, but stood with his unfocused gaze on the floor.

She smiled lovingly at his expression before risking a step forward to wrap her arms around him. "Everything'll be okay, Squall; no matter what happens, I'm here for you."

She felt him shudder before he slowly wrapped his arm around her as well. "Thank you."

They held each other for a couple of minutes before Squall reluctantly pulled away, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders. "It's about time," he told her.

"Y-Yeah…" she agreed, unsure how else to respond as she looked up into his face.

His gaze was drawn to her innocent and beautiful green eyes, and he noticed the slight unevenness of the waves at the ends of her hair, and the way her lower lip slightly protruded in a charming pout. "I…I'd better go," he concluded, and quickly turned to head down the narrow side hall, feeling a slight twinge in his right leg as he moved. "See you later."

"Y-Yeah…see you," she breathed, her chest feeling tighter than it ever had.

* * *

"Commander Leonhart!" the president of Esthar greeted as Squall emerged from the hallway and onto the balcony. "It's been a long time!"

"It has, sir," Squall replied somewhat stiffly as he joined the older man at the rail and shook hands. "What did you wish to discuss with me?"

Laguna chuckled awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Right to the point, eh? Fair enough; I remember saying that we'd have a lot to talk about." He looked out upon Trabia's glittering whiteness. "Please don't blame Miss Tilmitt, but she's the one who asked us to come; she wanted Ellone to come so you could see her, and me so…" The corner of his mouth twitched. "…so I could tell you about your parents."

"I already know," Squall informed him matter-of-factly. "You're my father and Raine's my mother. After escaping the Lunatic Pandora you ended up in Winhill, where she nursed you back to health. You two fell in love and got married. I'm assuming that you didn't know that she was pregnant when you left to find Ellone."

"Yeah…" Laguna murmured as he rubbed his hand across his jaw. "That's basically the story. You're probably pretty mad that I wasn't there for you, huh?"

Squall sighed as he shifted his gaze to the Trabian landscape glittering under the moonlight. "Yes and no; while part of me is furious, another part of me understands."

"Yeah…" Laguna repeated, turning to study his son. His son. "Squall, even though I didn't know about you, I'm really sorry that I wasn't there for you…or for Rai-er, for your mother."

Squall worked his jaw, trying to keep the tears from escaping; he'd been hoping for some expression of regret, but to actually hear it… "I forgive you. It'll just take some time to deal with the feelings." He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. "But, I managed to recover from losing Ellone; I'm sure I'll get over this."

"Hey." Squall looked over at Laguna's prompt to find him with an uncharacteristically serious expression. "If… If there's anything I can do to help, let me know, okay? I know I can't make up for not being your…your…"

"My father…?" Squall prompted.

"…your dad for all those years, but I'd like a chance to be one now." He chuckled awkwardly. "Though I get that you're probably not interested in tossing the ball or anything like that, and with all you've done you sure don't need me trying to teach you about life."

Squall couldn't help but chuckle at the older ma-no, his father's words, though he had to swallow a lump of emotion before he could speak again. "I'm… I'm sure we could find…something…to do or talk about."

Laguna smiled over at his son before turning and reaching out to grip him by the shoulders. "Squall, look at me, would you?"

Even though he didn't know how he'd react internally, Squall still forced his gaze to his father's eyes. "Yeah?"

Laguna squeezed his son's shoulders several times before he spoke. "Squall… I've missed out on so much, and…" He averted his glance briefly before forcing it back to his son's face in spite of his tears. "…it hurts like hell, man."

"Thanks," Squall replied, starting to feel the familiar pressure behind his eyes.

Laguna's jaw worked vigorously as he tried to get the words out. "I would trade every minute of my time as president just so I could have been there for you…son." He started to pull Squall towards himself, then quickly pulled away while clearing his throat. "You're…probably not interested in that right now. Sorry."

Squall stared at the man who had been half-responsible for giving him life, and without a word he pulled his father to himself as he allowed the tears to flow.

* * *

"I haven't been to the Trabian continent in a long time," Laguna remarked as he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his son as they looked up at the stars. "The sky always seems so much clearer here than over Esthar."

"It is pretty," Squall agreed as he tried to pick out constellations.

"How are you and Sorceress Rinoa doing?"

The question caught Squall of guard. "R-Rinoa?"

"Sure!" Laguna laughed. "I haven't forgotten how focused you were when you came to the space station; you were all 'Rinoa, Rinoa, Rinoa' back then."

"Oh." Squall's mood darkened as he thought back to his conversation with her, the one that ended with their breakup. "We're…not together anymore."

"Seriously?" Laguna exclaimed, the surprise evident in his tone. "But you…and she…"

"We…don't see things the same way," Squall explained. "And I'm not talking about things like colors or home decorations or stuff like that; we just see relationships differently," he finished, opting to exclude his observations regarding Rinoa's behavior.

Laguna sighed heavily. "Damn, I'm really sorry to hear that. You okay?"

"I'm fine," Squall chuckled. "I'm still her Knight and we're still friends."

"It'll probably be a while before you can hang out together again," Laguna noted in a somber tone.

"I figured."

The older man sighed heavily before clapping his son on the shoulder. "Well, at least you two learned about this before getting married; it can get pretty messy afterward."

Squall chuckled lightly. "That's oddly comforting." Then, curiosity had him sighing. "Hey, um…Dad?"

Laguna blinked in surprise at Squall's use of his title. "Y-Yeah?"

Squall turned to face him, leaning on the wall. "Do you…? Do you miss Mom?"

Laguna blinked again at Squall's use of Raine's title. "Yeah, I do. Not as much as I used to, of course," he replied with a sigh. Then he glanced over at Squall. "A decade-and-a-half tends to take the edge off of emotions, I've noticed."

Squall nodded thoughtfully. "I think I understand."

Laguna straightened to lightly bop his fist against the balcony's retaining wall. "But some regrets…? They tend to stay with you until they're resolved." He looked over at his son again, this time with a warm smile. "Thanks, Squall."

Squall returned his dad's smile before the two men resumed their stargazing.

After several minutes of silence, Laguna spoke again. "Um…Ellone and I have a 'gift' for you."

"A gift?" Squall echoed. "For me?"

Laguna looked over at him with a conspiratorial grin. "You want it now?"

Squall wasn't sure how to respond to his dad's facial expression. "Um, sure, if it's okay…"

"Then let's go!" Laguna exclaimed, pushing off the wall to head toward the hallway back into Trabia Garden proper. "This is gonna be awesome!"

Squall chuckled at his father's antics as he wondered what the gift could be.


	22. Dreams of Winhill

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Dreams of Winhill**

"Ah, hello Uncle Laguna, Squall," Ellone greeted as the two men entered the president's guest quarters. "It looks like your talk went well."

"Sure did!" Laguna replied as he removed his coat and tossed it over the back of a nearby chair. "Listen, Ellone… Do you think we could give Squall his gift…um, now?"

"Now?" she said, folding her hands before her chest. "Are you sure?"

"I mean, if you're not up to it tonight, it's cool; it's just that I offered, and…" He rubbed the back of his neck with an apologetic expression.

"Oh, uncle; you've always been so impulsive," she giggled. "Don't worry; I've been ready since we received the invitation." She looked around the guest room. "Perhaps we should give it to him in his own room, though?"

"My room?" Squall repeated, already puzzled by the exchange.

Ellone stepped up to her younger brother and laid her hands on his chest. "It's nothing bad, Squall. It's just that…because of the type of gift it is, it'd probably be best to give it to you in your room."

Squall's gaze flicked from his sister to his father; he had no reason to doubt them, so… "All right, let's go then."

As Squall led his family down the hall and away from the guest quarters, he thought about what the gift could be that they would need his room to give it to him. _Just having Sis here is enough of a present_ he thought, a smile tickling his lips. The idea of having his father in his life made him a little excited as well.

"Squall!"

The trio stopped as Selphie hurried to catch up with them. "Hey, Selphie," Squall greeted.

"Where're you going?" she puffed as she stopped before them. Then, her eyes widened at the sight of Squall and Laguna, nearly side-by-side. "Wow, he really is your dad, isn't he?"

"Sort of," Laguna replied awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm just happy that Squall's giving me the chance to be the dad I should've been in the first place."

"Thank you very much, Sir Laguna," the bouncy-haired girl replied with a bow.

"Y-You're welcome…?" Laguna replied, surprised twice over, by the bow and the title. Next to him, Ellone giggled behind a hand.

"So, I don't mean to be nosy, but you're missing a great party," Selphie said, addressing Squall once again. "Are the three of you heading to bed, then?"

"Dad said that he and Sis have a gift for me," Squall explained, "but they want to give it to me in my room."

Ellone had been studying her sister with a soft smile when an idea came to mind. "Would you like to come with us?" she suddenly offered.

"M-Me?" Selphie stuttered, her hand flying to her chest.

Ellone exchanged a nod with her uncle before taking the younger woman by the arm a short distance away but far enough that their conversation would not be accidentally overheard. "The gift that Uncle Laguna and I will be giving him might make him…emotional," she explained.

"E-Emotional?" Selphie's heart sank at the very idea. "You mean, like…sad?"

"Very likely," Ellone replied, laying a hand on her sister's shoulder. "You and Squall seem very close now, so your presence might be comforting to him."

It was almost amusing the way Selphie's jaw suddenly set itself. "I'm…I'm coming," she decided. "Squall's much more important than some party."

"Of course," Ellone agreed while trying to hold back a giggle at the other woman's obvious affection toward their orphanage brother. "Shall we go, then?"

Laguna smiled broadly as Ellone returned with Selphie in tow. "Did you get everything sorted?"

"I'm coming with you," Selphie declared, standing before Squall.

"Um…okay," the young commander replied, puzzled by the exchange. He then led the group to his room, where he punched the code to the door, allowing everyone entry. "Make yourselves comfortable anywhere," he told them. "I'll stand if needed; it's not a problem."

"Actually…you'll want the couch for this," Laguna told him as he gestured to the plush sofa along one wall of the living room. He then grinned awkwardly at his niece. "Should I let you take it from here?"

"That'd be fine," Ellone replied as she made her way over to the sofa and sat at one end. "Now, Squall; please lay down and lay your head in my lap."

"Wh-What?" Squall was positive that he'd heard incorrectly. "You want me to lay with my head in your-"

"L-Lap?!" Selphie squeaked, casting a fearful glance at her idol. "Sir Laguna, I d-don't mean any disrespect, but…does it have to be her lap?"

Laguna said nothing, but smiled as he gestured toward the girl seated on the couch.

"E-Ellone…? Selphie dropped to her knees before her older sister. "Wh-Why does he need to be in your lap?"

Ellone sighed with an affectionate smile as she ran her fingers through the younger woman's hair several times. "I guess I can tell you a little bit about the gift." She took a deep breath. "Our gift is to send Squall's consciousness into the past, to a…very important time. Do you remember what I told you earlier?"

Selphie figured that the older woman was referring to the effect the gift might have on her belov-on Squall. "Yeah. Yeah, I do." She licked her lips as inspiration struck her. "But…you don't need to touch him to do it, right? All the other times, you were really far away."

"That is true," Ellone conceded with a twinkle in her eye. "Are you offering to be here for him?"

"Can I?" she blurted, shooting back to her feet. "I mean, may I?" She whirled on her idol, who took a surprised step back. "Please, sir?"

"I...I don't mind," Laguna replied, caught off-guard by the sudden attention. "But the one you really need to ask is Squall."

"Oh, please Squall?" Selphie nearly begged, her eyes desperate as she shifted her attention to her special someone. "You know I'd take care of you, right?"

Like father like son, Squall took a surprised step back at the intensity in his friend's eyes. "I…I guess…"

"Well, whatever we're going to do, we should do it soon," Laguna said. "It's starting to get kinda late."

"Come, Selphie," Ellone said, rising from the sofa. "Squall, when you're ready."

"Wait a minute…" Squall said, his voice tight as he held up a hand. "…don't I get a say in this? I think I've had enough of other people deciding things for me."

The women cast their gazes to the floor while Laguna looked upon his son with pride. Finally, Ellone spoke. "I'm sorry, Squall; maybe this isn't the best time to do this." She stepped up to her brother and laid her hands on his chest; for her part, Selphie had to resist the urge to yank them away. "Like I said; our gift is to send you into the past, but…" she bit her lip as her eyes briefly lost focus. "…the time I'll be sending you to might be…hard for you to see." She giggled lightly. "You may not need to be in my lap, but you may want a comforting presence when you return."

Squall's gaze flicked to Selphie as his older sister's words. Finally, he sighed. "Okay, I think I get it." He looked to the sofa. "Now is fine, but I don't need to be in anyone's lap."

"But-"

"Yes, Selphie; I would like it if you could be here," Squall interrupted, drawing looks of surprise from everyone at his admission. Then, he scratched awkwardly at his head. "But…how do I say this…?" He dropped his hand to give Ellone an apologetic look. "I'd…like to be as alone as I can? I'm grateful for the gift, really, but I'd feel really uncomfortable with everyone staring at me."

Ellone smiled fondly at her favorite sibling as she stepped away, letting her hands fall from his chest. "I understand, Squall; you're a private person, and that's okay."

"Thank you, Ellone," Selphie said, unintentionally cutting off Squall's expression of gratitude.

Ellone turned her smile at her younger sister. "I'll be with him for the journey, but I'll be counting on you to be here for him when he returns, okay?"

Selphie blushed furiously as she nodded enthusiastically, a humorous contrast to her sister's serene expression. "Y-You can count on me."

"Then let's get this started," Squall grunted before plopping onto the sofa. Remembering that he still had his shoes on, he carefully kicked them off.

"We'll go back to our room, and then we'll get started," Ellone said as she and Laguna headed for the door.

"I'll get that," Selphie said with a pat to Squall's chest as he started to get up. She then hurried over to the door and pushed the button to open it. "Th-Thank you Big Sis, Sir Laguna."

"Have a pleasant evening," he returned as the women hugged.

After the pair had moved out of sight Selphie closed the door and made her way over to Squall, kneeling next to the sofa to gaze into his face. "Are… Are you okay?"

"To be honest, I'm a little nervous," he admitted with a chuckle. "But this is Sis we're talking about, so I'm sure everything'll be fine."

"I think so, too," Selphie giggled. Then her expression turned serious. "Squall? I just want you to know…that I won't leave… Okay? I'll stay here until you're back."

"I know," he replied then suddenly looked away toward the wall behind the sofa. "You've…made your feelings very clear when it comes to me."

She felt her face heat up again, but kept her eyes on him.

Squall looked back over to her and flashed an awkward smile. "Just so you know; I don't know when she'll send-" Squall's expression suddenly faded, his face relaxing into unconsciousness as his eyes closed and his body settled further into the sofa.

Selphie took in a shuddering breath, tears pooling in her eyes as she reached out to gently caress his cheek. "Sweet dreams, Squall."

* * *

_Where am I? It's so dark…_

Squall waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, but it never happened. _"Ellone?"_ he called, hoping his sister could explain what was going on.

"_I'm sorry, Squall; I think I took you back a little further than I intended. Please be patient; it won't affect how long you're away from our time."_

"_Okay."_

As he waited, Squall tried to discern the environment his 'host' was in. Wherever he was was obviously dark, almost pitch-black. It also felt like he was underwater, but for some reason his host didn't seem to be drowning. In fact, he sensed that his host was peacefully sleeping, which could've partially explained the darkness. He could also hear a rhythmic thrumming sound in the background.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he suddenly noticed a pressure of sorts on his host. It wasn't like his host was being crushed or anything like it; it was more like…pushing. _What's going on?_

His answer came almost immediately as the room he was in suddenly became illuminated, and he could see a network of red lines on the walls of his host's…room? _Wait a minute...is he – or she – about to be-"_

A sudden lurch cut off his thoughts, and he felt his host being pushed more insistently, and as his host's body began to move he realized: _It's being born?!_

As though to confirm his suspicions, the body of his host began to move, constricting as it passed through a somewhat long and narrow passage, emerging into bright light. The cries of his host a few moments later confirmed that he was in the body of a newborn baby. _"Ellone!"_ he cried out, almost along with the baby. _"What's going on?"_

"_Please be patient, Squall,"_ came the gentle reply. _"All will be clear shortly."_

* * *

"How is she, Pierce?" the old woman asked as the midwife tended to her charge.

"I wish I knew," Pierce replied as she blotted the new mother's forehead with a cool cloth, trying to clear the sweat that wouldn't stop forming. "The baby seems to be fine, thank goodness."

The old woman made her way to the mother's bedside and examined her expression. "Oh, poor dear: she looks like she's in a lot of pain. Have you called the doctor?"

Pierce sighed as she switched out the sweat-soaked cloth for a new one. "He said he won't be able to get her for another hour. Agnes, I don't know if she's going to last that long."

The old woman sighed sadly as she moved around the bed to examine the baby. "Poor little baby… I just pray that the doctor gets here in time…"

* * *

Squall's view was rather chaotic as the baby kept looking around randomly, but he was able to see enough to recognize the ceiling and walls. _Am I in Winhill? Then-_ His internal monologue cut off as he realized when he likely was. _Come on; let me see the mother!_

"Should we at least see if she can nurse?" he heard Agnes ask, causing hope to well up in his chest. He then remembered that the baby could likely sense his presence, so he tried to mute his thoughts and feelings so as to not upset his host.

"We could try," he heard Pierce say. "Can you wipe her while I get him?"

"Of course."

Squall felt a wave of anticipation as a blonde-haired girl not much older than himself – well, his seventeen-year-old self – appeared above him. She was a pretty girl, though the dark circles under her eyes and slightly unkempt hair made her look older than she appeared otherwise. He could feel himself being lifted up, and he started to feel a sense of anticipation as his view shifted to a large bed, where the mother presumably lay.

His heart leaped at the sight of Raine Loire covered by several layers of blankets but then quickly sank as he got a good look at her face; pale skin, eyes squeezed shut in obvious pain, murmuring quietly… His experience on the battlefield, seeing death time and again told him that she wouldn't live long enough for any doctor to save her. Of course he knew that she'd died many years ago, but to actually see her in her final hours…

"Raine?" Pierce called sweetly. "Would you like to nurse your son?"

Agony-filled eyes flicked open, only to suddenly become clear as her gaze settled on Squall. "Please…" The baby was handed to her, and after the appropriate adjustments were made she started to nurse. "Hello, sweetheart; Mommy's so sorry that she's not feeling well, but she'll take care of you the best she can."

Were it under any other circumstances Squall would be unnerved by the sight of a woman's bare breasts, but this was his mother, and he was grateful that his infant self was looking into her face. _"Ellone?"_ he called. _"Are you __sure__ that there's no way to change the past?"_

"_I'm sorry, Squall,"_ came the reply. _"The past has already happened and cannot be changed. Seventeen years ago, your consciousness entered your infant form and saw…what you're seeing now. I'm really sorry; I wanted to give you the chance to see your mother and how much she loved you."_

It was clear how much Raine Loire loved her son, if the tears streaming from her eyes were any indication. "Oh, I love you so much, Squall; I'm sorry that I won't be here to see you grow up."

"Don't talk like that," Squall heard Agnes say in an admonishing tone. "You just need to hold on a little longer; the doctor will be here soon."

Squall saw his mother look away, presumably to address the other woman. "Thank you, but…" She drew a shuddering breath. "I know I haven't much longer." She then looked back to Squall with a sad smile. "I'm so sorry."

"You're naming him 'Squall'?" Pierce asked.

"I thought it would be fitting," Raine replied, keeping her gaze on her son as she spoke. She finished nursing and allowed Squall to be taken by the midwife and placed back in the basket next to the bed; unfortunately this meant the Squall could no longer see his mother, as he had been placed on his back again. "I'm so tired…" he heard her say.

"_Mom…"_

"Be strong, Squall," he heard he say. "Become a strong man…a good man… Laguna…"

"Raine?" came Pierce's alarmed voice. "Raine?!"

"Laguna…come see your son…our son… Where are you…?"

"…Where are you…?"

Pierce quickly made her way to Raine's bedside and began caressing the young mother's face. "It's okay, dear; it's okay…"

Whether Raine could hear her or not was unknown, as she had started murmuring again, her eyes closed.

As she breathed her last, the baby started crying uncontrollably, and Pierce quickly hurried to pick him up, tears streaming from her own eyes as she held him close. "Oh, Squall…"

"You poor thing," Agnes said mournfully, looking to the midwife as the baby cried in her arms. "It's almost as though he knows his mother's gone."

* * *

"NO!" Squall cried, suddenly sitting up on the couch and startling Selphie, who had been watching him. "MOM! MOOOOOOOOOM!"

"Squall!" Selphie quickly crawled onto the couch and wrapped her arms around her distraught friend. "What happened?"

Squall vigorously wiped his eyes with his sleeve over and over again, but the tears would not stop coming. Finally he broke down, crying uncontrollably as he had in his infant self, great heaving sobs that shook his whole frame as well as his friend's, and she quickly moved to stand before him to hold his head to her chest and caress his hair. "It's okay, it's okay," she whispered in a shuddering voice as tears escaped from her eyes as well. "Just let it all out. I'm here for you…" Squall looked up at her and she was shocked at the pain, the agonizing grief that she found in his eyes.

"Oh, god…." he rasped, "…it hurts…so…much…" he managed before breaking once again, allowing her to pull his head to her chest again as he released nearly eighteen years of loss.


	23. Final Boss?

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Final Boss?**

"Thanks," Squall said in a voice still-husky from grief as he accepted the proffered glass. "Sorry to make you do this."

"You didn't make me do anything," Selphie giggled, though her mirth was laced with heaviness as she moved to sit next to him on the sofa. "Hey…are you okay?"

Squall took a sip of the water, partly for the hydration and partly to give himself time to think about his reply. "I guess I'm fine…all things considered."

"What happened?"

He briefly glanced up at her before resettling his gaze on the clear liquid as it rippled in the transparent container within the circle of his hands. "Ellone…sent me back to my own birth." At her gasp he nodded with a slight smile. "Yeah; I got to see Mom from inside as well as out."

"Is Raine really your mom, then?" Selphie asked, leaning forward with curiosity sparkling in her large, emerald eyes.

Another nod. "She died shortly after giving birth to me." He took a deep breath and pursed his lips as he tried to keep the tears from flowing again at the very recent memory. "She was able to nurse me once, but…" He clenched his teeth and looked away from his friend. "Dammit…"

"It's okay, Squall," she said, cautiously reaching out to touch his hand, and was surprised when he let her take it. "Y-You don't need to be ashamed; it's just you and me."

He leaned forward to put the glass on a coaster on the table before flopping back on the sofa, his free arm moving to cover his eyes. "I know," he sighed as he gave her hand a squeeze. "It's just a lot to take in right now."

"I'll bet."

A _chirp_ from the door control panel told them that he had a visitor, and Squall sighed again. "I really don't need this right now…" he grumbled as he started to get up.

"I'll answer it; it's probably Ellone," Selphie said as she gently but insistently pushed him back onto the sofa and got up herself. He opened his mouth to protest, but instead gave a grateful nod as he relaxed back into the cushions. She smiled fondly down at his slouched form before heading to the door to press the comm button. "Hi-ya! Who's there, please?"

No answer.

She repeated her request twice more before cautiously pressing the button to open the door; neither she nor Squall had their weapons on them and weren't proficient at unarmed combat, so the lack of response made her a little uneasy.

"'Bout time you opened the door, Tilmitt," Seifer greeted from the other side.

"Seifer?!" she bristled. "What do you want? And why didn't you answer?"

The tall blonde ignored the questions, looking past her to his goal. "It's time, Squall."

"Hey, Squall's been through a lot today!" Selphie protested, putting herself between Seifer and his quarry. "Come back tomorrow or something!"

"I won't be here tomorrow!" Seifer snapped. "I'm supposed to catch the last flight back to Balamb, which is in about forty-five minutes."

"Well, too bad for you," she growled. "Squall's still-"

"Let me get my weapon and I'll meet you by the main entrance in three," Squall interrupted, stepping up behind a wide-eyed Selphie. "Will that work?"

Seifer smirked at the pair on the other side of the door. "Yeah. Yeah, that'll work; three from when I leave." He spun on his heel and headed away, giving a lazy wave over his shoulder as he departed. "Tilmitt, you can come too if you want; just make sure to bring your weapon."

Selphie glared at his retreating form until it rounded a corner before turning worried eyes on her friend. "Are you sure about this, Squall?"

He quirked his mouth to the side as he looked to where his old rival had disappeared. "Go get your weapon and be back in one; we'll talk on the way."

She blinked up at him in surprise; his statement hadn't quite been an order, but it sounded like he wouldn't have listened to any arguments, either. "O-Okay," she replied, and hurried out the door.

Squall sighed as he watched her go, then slapped the button to close the door before heading to the bedroom to gather the Lionheart.

* * *

"Nice of you to show up," Seifer said, wearing his trademark gray coat along with a smirk as he leaned against the doorway to the auto-doors leading outside; the gray case that held his gunblade leaned against the wall next to him. "I knew you wouldn't let me down, Squall."

"What's this all about, anyway?" Selphie demanded. "And where are Fujin and Raijin?"

"Jeez Tilmitt, lighten up!" the blonde man laughed as he pushed himself from the wall. "You're starting to sound like your boyfriend!"

"Enough," Squall intoned, stepping between the verbal combatants. "I'm here; let's get this over with."

Seifer gave his old rival a wink before leaning down to retrieve his gunblade case. Without a word, he turned and headed out the auto-doors into the clear, cold night. Squall shivered briefly at the abrupt change in temperature, though Selphie seemed unfazed by it; hardly surprising, considering she'd spent the bulk of her schooling at Trabia Garden.

They followed the gray-coated youth as he walked up to the main gate and glared at it. A few seconds later it opened, allowing them access to the wilderness beyond.

Selphie furrowed her delicate brow at the sight; normally, Headmaster Winn or another high-ranking faculty member would have to key in a code to open the huge wall-like gate. "H-How did you do that?"

Seifer glanced over his shoulder with his usual smirk. "Maaaagic," he replied with a wiggle of his fingers.

She looked to her friend for some kind of explanation, but all he did was shrug with a shake of his head as though to say _Don't worry about it_.

They eventually found themselves near a small forest not too far from Trabia Garden's main gate. "Well…" Seifer said as he set his gunblade case down on a nearby stone, "…let's get started, shall we?"

The two men collected their weapons and took up positions opposite each other, and Selphie looked between them worriedly. "Squall, are you sure you want to do this? You've been through a lot today."

"I'm fine," he replied evenly. "Like I said earlier; I kinda need this to help sort out my thoughts."

"See, Tilmitt?" Seifer taunted. "Puberty boy's all grown up now; he doesn't need you 'mom'ing him anymore."

"Leave her alone, Seifer," Squall told him, his voice still even. "She came because you asked so nicely, but that doesn't mean I'm going to put up with you mistreating her."

Seifer studied his opponent, sneer firmly in place. "Fair enough," he conceded. "But only because you asked so nicely." His expression then grew serious as he raised his weapon, holding it vertically in front of his face before lowering it to a ready position, pointed directly at Squall. "You ready?"

Squall blinked as he recognized his opponent's stance. "Hey…that's…" He glanced over at Selphie, who had apparently noticed the same thing, as she was staring wide-eyed at Seifer. "You saw that dream, didn't you?"

"Yeah…" she breathed, her eyes still locked on the familiar fighting stance. "That's just like Sir Laguna's stance from when he made that movie."

"Ah, you know about that, huh?" Seifer said proudly. "Yeah, I saw that movie and liked the stance so much that I copied it. I'll never forget the name 'Laguna Loire' as long as I live. He was my inspiration to take up the gunblade, you know."

"I didn't know that," Squall admitted as he exchanged a glance with Selphie, trying to tell her with his eyes to not bring up his relationship to Seifer's hero. Apparently she understood, because she gave him a slight smile along with a nod.

A slight shift in stance was all the warning Squall was given as Seifer suddenly charged at him, drawing his gunblade back for a slash targeted at Squall's abdomen. However, the weakness of Seifer's combat stance was a tendency to telegraph his intent, and Squall was able to easily parry the strike, sending the taller man stumbling several steps.

Fortunately, Seifer was easily able to regain his balance, and he took several strutting steps as though to say _That didn't bother me._ "Not bad, Squall; guess all that time killing my sorceress paid off."

Squall rolled his eyes at the lame attempt at a taunt. "You should've picked a better sorceress as a partner."

Seifer stopped mid-step and looked over at his sparring partner with an amused grin. "So you can give as good as you get now, huh? Nice." He took up his fighting stance again. "The last time we sparred, you were so quiet it was almost creepy."

Squall lowered his gunblade just enough to send Seifer a silent smile, causing the other man to laugh before attacking again.

On the sidelines, Selphie gnawed on her lip as she watched, worried about her friend. As she continued to watch, though, she realized that… "They're more the same than they are different, aren't they?"

It was true. Even though the two men had butted heads on more than one occasion, they had one major trait in common; they were both driven. Even though they had different desires and dreams, each of them had what it took to go far in life. Even though Seifer used his for self-gain rather than for the good of others, he still felt strongly about his dreams.

"_And Seifer feels and Seifer loves so he's alive, ya know?"_

The memory of Raijin's words came back to her as she watched the unofficial match, and she started to see their old nemesis in a different light. _He's not a bad person; just…misguided._

"Come on; stop holding back!" Seifer suddenly shouted, snapping Selphie out of her reverie. "I know you're stronger than that! I'm feeling insulted, here!"

Squall blinked at his opponent's words, his gunblade lowering slightly, and it occurred to him that Seifer just wanted him to do his best, and that any perceived animosity was from Squall's own imagination. _"If I beat him, I can see Ellone again…"_ He sighed as he raised his weapon again. "Fine…" He muttered, then charged…

…only for his steps to falter, distracted by the sight of Raijin and Fujin charging from the thick woods nearby, heading right toward the combatants.

"Hey!" Selphie protested. "I thought it was just supposed to be you and Squall!"

"Calm down Tilmitt," Seifer replied as he relaxed his stance, holding up a hand; Squall half-expected to see fire forming in his opponent's hand, but slowed to a stop when he saw an empty palm. "They're bringing the real reason for this whole thing."

"What do you mean?" Squall asked.

As though on cue, a roar reverberated through the night air, and everyone could feel the sound vibrating their skin and causing their hair to stand on end.

"What is that?" Selphie gasped as a huge, four-legged beast charged out of the woods, knocking down trees as though they were branches. It was easily the size of a house, with legs thicker than tree-trunks and a neck so thick that it appeared as though the beast's head attached directly to its massive shoulders. Its leathery skin must have been coated with sweat, because it fairly glowed under the moonlight. It was hauntingly beautiful.

"Good job, you two!" Seifer called, giving his underlings a thumbs-up as they gasped past him, running toward the Garden. "We'll take it from here!"

The fleeing pair might have answered, but their lungs could only hold so much air.

Seifer watched them disappear through the gate to Trabia Garden before turning to his rival. "Well? Want to give me a hand?"

"Wait…" Selphie said as the beast stomped its way up to them. "…is this why you called Squall out?"

In spite of the danger nearby, Seifer tucked his gunblade under his arm to slow-clap. "Brilliant deduction, Chief of Intelligence Tilmitt!" Taking his gunblade back in hand he added, "Would the two of you care to join me in taking down this thing?"

Squall and Selphie exchanged a glance, their expressions resolving into smiles as they readied their weapons and took up positions on either side of Seifer. "Selphie, let's make sure that he gets the bonus experience, okay?"

Seifer's face was a mask of confusion as he looked over his shoulder at his old rival, then smiled as he realized what the other man was likely referring to. "Trying to make up for the Anaconduar, are you?"

"You could say that," Squall replied, his own expression one of concentration as he studied the beast. "And in case it needs to be said; you're in charge…commander."

"Of course I am!" Seifer laughed before pointing the Hyperion at his new target. "Let's take this thing down!"

With Squall's and Selphie's help, the battle was terribly one-sided, and the beast collapsed to the ground before dissolving into the familiar purple mist.

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is that!" Seifer announced, turning to his teammates; in the distance, Raijin and Fujin could be seen exiting the Garden again. "And you were true to your word, Squall."

"I try," Squall replied dryly.

"What word?" Selphie asked. "The one about the experience?"

"I miscalculated a blow back in Dollet," Squall explained. "I meant to leave the thing with a few HP but put a little too much force into my swing."

"I'd forgotten all about it until you brought it up," Seifer chuckled. "But I guess you're a good little Garden soldier, with integrity and…" he trailed off, his trademark smirk fading with his words. He quickly recovered, however, and started back toward the main gate. "I admire a man who is true to his word." He chuckled again. "Damn, Squall; I should've warmed up on the enemy before crossing 'blades with you; I won't be challenging you ever again!"

"Y-You won't?" Selphie said, surprised at the revelation.

Seifer stopped to throw his head back to laugh heartily. "Hey, I've seen the power your boyfriend has! Felt it, too! I figure I'm lucky to still be alive after all this! 'Scuse me; I've got a plane to catch." With that, he waved over his shoulder as he joined his underlings at the main gate, leaving the pair to blink stupidly after him.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Selphie asked worriedly. "He seemed kinda…sad?"

"He'll be fine," Squall replied, smiling at the sight of his now-former rival, passing through the gate with his underlings…friends really, and he felt an odd sense of loss at the change in their relationship. "Yeah…I think he'll be much better, now."


	24. Push-Pull

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Push/Pull**

"And there he goes," Selphie announced to no one in particular as the Ragnarok reached flight altitude and headed back toward Balamb Garden. "What a weirdo."

"He's unique, that's for sure," Squall agreed as the two of them started back into the Garden proper. "Well, as long as he got what he wanted, then I guess everything's fine."

"Ah, commander," a familiar voice greeted, and the pair looked to find Headmaster Cid heading toward them along with his wife and Headmaster Winn. "I trust things went well with Seifer?"

"You knew about that, sir?" Squall said, clearly surprised.

Cid smiled over at his fellow headmaster, who nodded in response before turning his gaze upon the young SeeDs. "We wanted to give young Almasy a chance to show that he could be trusted out in society again; to redeem himself, if you will."

"Were you the one who opened the gate for us, then?" Selphie asked.

The headmasters shared another grin. "Yes, I opened it remotely," Winn replied. "Why do you ask?"

Squall snorted. "Seifer told us that he used 'maaaagic' to open the gate," he said, wiggling his fingers in an approximation of his former rival's gesture.

The others burst into laughter at the actions of the normally-stoic young man. "That does sound like him, all right," Cid chuckled while removing his glasses to dab his eyes with the back of his hand. "Anyway, you two must be pretty tired; it's been a long day, hasn't it?"

"Yes, sir," Squall agreed. "In fact, I was just thinking that it reminded me of my Field Exam."

"How so?"

"Well… It started with that stupid duel with Seifer that gave me this scar," Squall began, gesturing to his face, "then after a very short stay in the Infirmary, Quistis took me to the Fire Cave for that exam, then I almost immediately had to get on the transport for the Dollet mission." He chuckled. "The life of a SeeD, and I wasn't even a SeeD yet."

"Wow, Squall," Selphie breathed with a look of admiration. "I didn't know about that."

"He's always liked to keep to himself," Cid noted while clapping the younger man on the shoulder, "but I should let you two go. You'll be heading back to Balamb tomorrow, correct?"

"Yes, sir," the youths replied, almost in unison.

"Then we won't keep you any longer," Cid concluded with an affable smile as his fellow headmaster nodded. "Good night, and we'll see you in the morning." With that, Cid and Jonas headed toward the guest quarters, and Squall figured that the two would be talking Garden business until pretty late…or early, depending on how one reckoned time.

Squall watched the pair head through the gates before turning to his friend with a sigh. "I'm turning in; want me to walk you to your room?'

Selphie's eyes briefly widened before a smile spread across her face. "I'd like that, thanks."

The pair was quiet as they headed back into Garden and made their way to the hall that contained all of the guest quarters.

"Listen, I've been thinking…" Squall started, his voice breaking the silence of Trabia Garden's nighttime hallways.

"Good grief; when have you had the time to do that?" Selphie giggled, causing him to stop in surprise. Before he could respond, though, she continued, "No, I already know you're amazing, so… Anyway, what were you thinking about?"

Squall looked down into her bright expression, his mouth opening and closing several times with a confused expression. Finally, he shook his head. "I've been thinking about…our situation…you know, you and me and…"

Her bright expression turned slightly guarded but she said nothing.

"…with what's been going on with Rinoa and our situation…" He threw his arms up and let them fall to his sides. "I'm really sorry, but…I'm not ready for another relationship like that."

"Hey, it's okay," she replied soothingly as she stepped up to rest her hands on his chest. "I can't say that I know what it's like, but I can see that this really…" She briefly gnawed on her lower lip as she tried to find the right words. "I can see that this is really upsetting to you." She smiled softly up into his worried expression. "Just remember that I'm here for you, 'k?"

"'K," he echoed with a smile of his own, though his was more reserved. "You know, you make it really hard for me when you say stuff like that."

"What do you mean? Say stuff like what?"

"When you're all…I dunno, supportive like that," he replied, taking a step back to reclaim some personal space. "Honestly? It's kinda scary."

"What's scary about it?" she asked, her honest eyes devoid of any judgment.

"It's just…" He sighed noisily, roughly scratching his head as he looked to the side, unable to meet her gaze. "Right now, you're the only safe person to me. I mean, you're the most safe person to me right now. I mean…" He growled, roughly scratching his head again. "Dammit…"

"Hey, it's okay…" Selphie cooed while trying not to giggle at the sight; a flustered Squall looked so cute, after all. "I want to be a safe place for you to fall; I've told you that, right?"

"Yeah, you have," he admitted, then forced himself to take a slow, deep breath. "I guess I'm just afraid."

"Are you afraid that a relationship with me would end the same way it did with Rinoa?"

Squall said nothing, but bobbed his head several times in a nod.

"Hey…" she said, reaching out to cup his face and gently make him look at her. "I'm not going to pressure you. Sure, I want to get closer to you and be there for you and everything I've said, but I'm not going to try to force anything on you."

"I know…" Squall closed his eyes and took another deep breath. "Thanks."

Selphie opened her mouth to give him more encouragement, but all she got out was a squeak as she suddenly found herself wrapped in his arms. "S-Squall…?"

"Th-Thank you…" he shuddered as he held her tightly. "Thank you…S-Selphie."

She blinked away several tears as his words registered. She then sighed happily as she wrapped her arms around him, her hands coming to rest on his shoulder blades as she gave in to the embrace. "Y-… You're welcome."

* * *

"Aren't you two marrying a little young?" Cid asked the Ragnarok's copilot from the back of the cabin as the huge craft carried the group back to Balamb.

"No way!" Zell replied, then gently reached out to squeeze Sally's arm between his thumb and index finger. "Best to get 'em when they're young and tender!" He then reached toward her leg before quickly drawing his hand back with an impish grin. "Heh heh heh…"

"Zell Dincht, behave yourself!" Sally scolded as she fidgeted in her seat. "You're distracting the driver!"

Cid simply chuckled as he settled back in his seat and crossed his arms.

As the two continued their exchange, Selphie found her gaze drawn to Squall's hands; they looked strong and appeared to be slightly calloused, likely from all his time wielding his gunblade, and she started to wonder how they would feel on her- She drew a shuddering gasp, her hands flying to her mouth.

"You okay?"

"Wh-What?" She glanced up to see Squall studying her with a concerned expression. "What do you mean?"

He blinked at her, as though the answer should have been obvious. "Well…I thought I heard you gasp, and now you look like you're upset about something."

"N-No, I'm fine…" she managed to giggle, waving a hand as she tried to keep herself from falling into his deep blue gaze. "Just…had a weird thought…"

"Oh," he said, not understanding but trying to be sympathetic. "Okay. Well, if you need to talk about it, let me know."

"O-Okay," she replied, though there was no way that she would ever tell him about that. "Thanks."

He flashed a small smile as he settled back in his seat, and it wasn't long before a familiar structure came into view.

"Now approaching Balamb Garden," Sally announced through the PA system. "Please return to your seats and secure your restraints." She flipped a switch, closing the channel. "Including your restraints, Chief Dincht," she quipped as she caught him reaching for her leg again.

"Busted," Squall chuckled.

"Totally," Zell agreed, also chuckling as he withdrew his hand.

She glanced over at him and smiled. "Don't worry, Zellacious; we'll have some 'special time' later."

Zell's eyes widened, and he quickly sat up properly in his seat. "S-Scoooore…"

"Please remember that one of your elders is in the cockpit," Cid warned, though his tone showed mild amusement.

"Yes, sir," both Ragnarok pilots acknowledged, and with blushes.

As always, Sally landed the ship without incident, and everyone quickly gathered their things and started to debark.

"Man, my butt hurts after all that sitting!" Zell exclaimed, stretching his arms over his head. "I mean, I know you were mainly flying, Salamander, but I still sat in the copilot's seat the whole time!"

"You could have gone below and chatted with our guests," she suggested, twirling her pigtail while giving him a meaningful look.

Her intent wasn't lost on him, though; watching her fly the ship, their smooching sessions between flights… "You know, my butt doesn't hurt so bad now."

"That's good to hear," she giggled, her eyes crinkling with her smile.

"Thank you for another smooth flight, Miss Regal," Cid said as he and his wife stepped from the cargo ramp; behind them, a pair of admiring candidates carried their few pieces of luggage for them.

"Yo, HM!" Zell called, starting after them. "I meant to ask about this on our way here, but is there any way I could talk to Esthar's pointy-heads about making a starship?"

"A starship?" Cid blinked at the question, his pace slowing. "I…suppose…" He looked over at his wife, who simply smiled. "Tell you what; Edea and I are the last ones off the ship, right? How about you come to my office after the two of you get settled back in?"

"SWEET!" Zell exclaimed with a fist-pump. "Thanks! See you in a bit."

On his way back to his girl he came across Squall, standing in the middle of a pile of luggage. "Sound like good news," his dark-haired friend observed with a grin.

"Totes!" Zell chirped. "Man, I'm gonna be the first Chief of Security on a starship!"

"Wouldn't you want to be the captain?" Squall asked with a raised eyebrow. "This whole thing is your idea, after all."

"Naw, I'm not cut out for commanding," Zell said with a wave of his hand. "Busting heads and ordering security teams around, though? Yeah, I could totally do that. Anyway, where's the Sylph?"

"She went on ahead with some of her luggage," Squall explained, waving toward the gigantic building as he surveyed the mess around him. "I don't know why she has to take so much stuff."

"Aw, you know women," Zell chortled. "They think they need all this stuff to be pretty for us and stuff."

"Well, Selphie sure doesn't need it," Squall absently replied, still figuring out how he would carry all the luggage inside.

Zell's brow jumped at his friend's words before a goofy grin spread across his face. "A'ight, Squallifier; let me help you with that."

Squall's gaze snapped up to his friend's. "You sure? I wouldn't want to put you out; I'm sure you're wanting some 'Sally time'."

"Pfft!" Zell snorted as he picked up a couple of suitcases and tucked them under his arm. "Dude, I'll be getting plenty of 'Sally time' later. 'Sides, if I tell her that I helped a friend…" He leaned forward with a conspiratorial smile. "…boooooonuuuuus."

"Good grief," Squall sighed as he shouldered several boxes. "Look, I'm glad the two of you are doing so well, but…keep that kind of stuff to yourself, okay?"

"Sure, man; sorry," Zell chuckled as the two men finished loading themselves up. "A'ight, let's get this to your digs, eh?"


	25. Odd Couples

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Odd Couples**

"Okay, there you go!" Rinoa chirped as she withdrew her glowing hands from the young man's shoulder. "How does that feel?"

Sitting on one of the infirmary's many examination tables, SeeD Chaplain carefully rotated his arm, first at the elbow, then at the wrist. "Amazing…" he breathed as he flexed his fingers, seeing them respond to his command. "I thought I'd never get use of this arm again. I mean, I'm glad that Garden could still use a one-armed SeeD, but still…" He bit his lip as the significance of what had just happened sank in. "Thank you so much, Miss Heartily…"

"You're welcome," Rinoa replied, smiling at him as she stepped back to give him the room needed to hop down from the table. "Before you leave, make sure to check in with Dr. Kadowaki to see when she wants you to come in for a follow-up appointment, okay?"

"Understood," the redheaded youth replied, briefly smiling at his newly-functioning arm before shifting his smile to her. "Follow up with Dr. Kadowaki."

"Right," she giggled. "Have a great day, Mr. Chaplain."

"I will, thanks! You, too!" He bowed to the sorceress before heading out the exam room door and into the lobby, smiling at his flexing fingers as he departed.

She also smiled as well as she watched him leave before turning her attention back to the examination room. "Now, to disinfect…" Gathering raw magical energy in her hand, she focused it into a roughly spherical shape. Once she was satisfied that her cleaning tool was ready, she adjusted her vision to allow herself to see any contaminants that might have been left behind during the exam; bacteria, viruses, and the like. "There you are…" she muttered before passing her cleaning sphere over the surface of the table; she fully intended to clean the whole surface of the table, but she wanted to be sure that she got everything. She briefly considered forming another cleaning sphere in her other hand, but since she was still pretty new to the job she didn't want to take any chances with her patients' health by missing a spot due to distraction.

Even with only one sphere she finished the job quickly and passed it over her open hand to disinfect it before heading out to the lobby. "I'm done in here, Doctor."

"I can see that," the physician said with a smile as she regarded her new assistant. "Reggie nearly floated out of here."

"I didn't cast that spell on him, I promise," Rinoa giggled with her hands raised.

"I'm sure you didn't, dear," Dr. Kadowaki replied, chuckling as well; their relationship had come a long way since Rinoa's magical assault on the good doctor. "And you disinfected afterward, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," Rinoa replied, allowing a smile of pride as she formed the cleaning sphere in her hand. "This works really well at cleaning up the examination table; I even got some blood from between the cushions."

"Ouch, girlie," the doctor chuckled at the sorceress. "I guess I'm not as good at sterilization as I thought."

Rinoa's face fell appropriately. "Oh, I didn't mean anything by that, doctor," Rinoa lamented, the glow fading from her hand. "I just mean that I'm glad that my abilities can be used to help others."

"I understand, dear," Dr. Kadowaki chuckled, giving the younger woman a motherly smile. "I was just teasing you. I'm actually glad to have your help. Have you enjoyed being an assistant?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Rinoa exclaimed. "To be able to heal people's wounds and perform life-saving surgeries…" Her eyes glistened at her brief shared history with the Garden physician. "Thank you for giving me this chance."

"You're welcome," the older woman said as she drew her into a hug. "I've always believed you to be a good girl."

Rinoa had started to snuggle onto the motherly embrace before the sound of the door *whooshing* open brought her back and she quickly straightened, wiping her eyes. _Thank you_ she mouthed to her surrogate mother, who smiled and nodded in return. "Welcome to the Infirmary," she started, turning to their new patient. "How can we help-Oh! Hey, Selphie!"

"H-Hi," the bouncy-haired girl replied from just outside the door, her gaze flicking between the two women.

"What can we do for you this morning, Chief Tilmitt?" Dr. Kadowaki asked, turning her analytical eye on the young woman; in addition to the hesitant greeting she also noticed a slight slouch in Selphie's posture, as well as barely-noticeable darkness and puffiness under her eyes. Clearly, she was distressed. "Is everything all right?"

"Could… Could I talk with Rinoa?" Selphie asked in an uncharacteristically timid tone. "Please?"

The physician and the sorceress looked at each other. "I don't see why not," Dr. Kadowaki replied. "You're about due for lunch, anyway."

Rinoa looked back to her squirming friend with a kind smile. "Let me finish up and I'll be out in a couple of minutes."

"Okay."

As she finished preparing her examination room for the next patient, Rinoa thought about Selphie's reason for wanting to talk with her; she knew that her friend wanted to talk about Squall, and she had a pretty good idea of why. She paused in her organizing, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath at the ache that suddenly formed in her chest; even though she knew that her own intimate relationship with the young commander was over, her heart still had a hard time letting go.

She finished sterilizing the new sheet and headed out to the hallway, where Selphie was waiting for her, leaning against the wall and tapping the heel of one boot against it. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's okay," Selphie replied. "Hey, when did you start working at the Infirmary?"

"A few days ago," the raven-haired sorceress replied as they headed toward the central hub of Balamb Garden. "I'll be happy to tell you the story later, but I'd really like to know what you wanted to talk about."

The shorter woman's pace slowed, bringing them to a stop. "It's…about Squall."

Rinoa managed to ignore another ache in her chest. "May…Maybe we should talk someplace more private."

Ironically, the most private place at Balamb Garden was outside Balamb Garden, near a small grove of trees a short distance from the main gate. The girls settled down against a tree and looked up at the clear, blue sky. At least, Rinoa did; Selphie preferred to study the lush, green grass she'd started to pick at, her knees drawn up to her chest.

Rinoa waited a couple of minutes before daring a guess. "You like Squall, don't you?"

At first Selphie simply nodded, a few tears dripping from her eyes. "I'm…I'm sorry…"

"When did it happen?" Rinoa asked, trying to ignore the ache that had started to well up again.

Selphie drew in a deep breath, letting it out in a shuddering sigh. "I'm not a hundred-percent sure, but I think it was when he…when he…"

"When he comforted you at the graveyard?" Rinoa offered, then blinked in surprise at her friend's shocked look. "What?"

"H-How did you know about that?" Selphie gasped, her breath quickening.

"It…was in the Balamb Guardian…" Rinoa replied, genuinely puzzled. "You mean you didn't know about that?"

Selphie slumped, hiding her face between her bent knees. "Of course… I'd forgotten all about that. I guess it never occurred to me that you'd see it."

The raven-haired girl wasn't sure how to respond, so she didn't.

"I'm really sorry," Selphie lamented, lifting her teary gaze to her dear friend. "I really wasn't trying to steal him from you or anything."

"I believe you," Rinoa said as comfortingly at her broken heart could allow. "Why did he go with you? To Trabia, I mean?"

Selphie leaned back, her eyes tracking a lone white cloud as it lazily glided across the sky. "I was having…problems…with Irvine at about the same time you two were, so I invited him to help out with Trabia's restoration."

"To give everyone a chance to clear their heads?"

The shorter girl nodded before drawing the back of her hand across her face. "I'd been pushing papers so much that I needed to do something physical, and I figured he needed it, too."

Rinoa's eyes lost focus at a memory. "So that's why he seemed so cold to me when I visited, then…"

"Huh?"

Rinoa looked over at her friend's puzzled look before waving a hand. "D-Don't worry about it; please, continue."

"O-Okay." Selphie returned her gaze to the sky. "Anyway, when he found me in the graveyard he told me that it was okay to be sad, that I didn't need to hold in my pain any more. Or more like I shouldn't have held it in in the first place."

"He said that?" Rinoa exclaimed, surprised by her ex-boyfriend's insight.

"He told me that he learned it from Dr. K," Selphie giggled. "He's so humble."

"Yeah…" Rinoa breathed, her eyes losing focus again. "He's something else." She shook her head to clear her mind. "So…what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I guess…" Selphie started fidgeting, knotting her finger repeatedly. "…I guess I wanted to know if there'd be any hard feelings between us if I…you know…"

Rinoa had to fight another ache to ask her next question. "Does he know how you feel about him?"

Selphie nodded with a guilty expression. "The last night of the Restoration Festival."

"I see…."

"I'm really, really, really sorry, Rinoa," Selphie whimpered. "I really should've talked to you, first."

"It's okay, it's okay…" Rinoa cooed, patting her distraught friend on the shoulder. "Look, you don't need my permission to date Squall, if that's what you're talking about." She swallowed hard. "He and I aren't together anymore, so…he's, uh…fair game."

"Okay," Selphie replied quietly.

Rinoa studied her for a moment before getting to her feet. "C'mon, sis," she said, a smile spreading across her face as she extended her arms toward her dear friend. "I think we both need a hug."

Selphie looked up at her in teary bewilderment before a hesitant smile spread across her face as well. Without a word she quickly hopped to her feet, and the two women threw her arms around each other and cried, one in grief and one in relief.

* * *

"Heya, boss."

Squall blinked from his musings from the second-tier railing and looked over to find Irvine strolling up to him with a guarded expression. "Morning, chief; what's up?"

"Yeah…" The sharpshooter leaned against the rail a respectful distance away from the commander and looked out over the entryway to the Garden. "Yeah, listen; I just wanna let you know that…" He turned around to lean back against the rail. "…if you and Selphie end up together… Well, I'll be happy for the both of you."

Squall blinked again, this time at the revelation. "Um, thanks?" He turned to fully face his subordinate, though he still leaned against the rail. "Have you given up on Chief Tilmitt, then?"

"Yeah…" Irvine drawled, deliberately not making eye contact with the other man. "Ah figger ah've burned mah bridges with her, so…yeah."

Squall's eyebrows jumped at Irvine's enunciation; he usually didn't slur his words so severely. "Are you okay, chief?"

Irvine briefly glanced over in confusion before an awkward grin took its place. "I'm fine, boss; that was just kinda…hard for me to say."

Squall eyebrow jumped again. "Well, good for you; that must've taken a lot of courage. Well done."

"Yeah. Thanks." Irvine adjusted his cowboy hat a couple of times, trying to find the right angle for the brim. "I've, uh…given up my 'womanizing' ways."

Squall's eyebrows jumped yet again, this time matching his full-on surprised expression. "Seriously? Good for you, but… How'd that happen?"

"I've…" Irvine sighed noisily between his lips before giving his superior another awkward grin. "Let's just say that I've found a woman who can keep me in line."

"You did?" Squall was starting to wonder if the surprises would never end. "Who is she? She must be pretty impressive to lasso you in."

"Ouch!" Irvine laughed. "But I guess I had that coming. Naw, I'd love for you all to meet her, but…it's kinda complicated."

"Any security issues I should know about?" Squall asked, moderately alarmed.

"No, no!" Irvine exclaimed, waving his gloved hands. "She's part of Garden, cleared security and all that; actually, you've worked with her before."

"I have?" Squall started to search his memory, only to realize that he had worked with nearly every female at Garden at one point or another. "Wait, that doesn't really narrow it down for me."

"She's kinda shy," Irvine started, then snapped his fingers. "No, it's not quite that; it's more like she's a little embarrassed." Before Squall could say anything he waved his hands again. "I'll find some way for the two of you to meet; just give me some time, okay?"

"Well…" Squall mused, "…as long as she's not a security risk…" He looked over at the sharpshooter with a lopsided smile. "All right, Kinneas; take your time. I'll just look forward to meeting the girl who tamed the mighty ladies' man."

Irvine threw his head back and laughed. "Thanks, boss. And…thanks, boss."

"You're welcome," Squall chuckled. "Take good care of her, all right?"

"Sure thing," the sharpshooter replied, miming a gunshot at him. "And you take good care of Selphie, ya hear?"

"Um, sure," Squall replied, his grin fading as he pushed himself away from the railing. "See you later, Kinneas."

Irvine watched as his boss headed off, then looked up. "Was that okay?" After a few moments he nodded and said, "Thanks, beautiful; see you in a bit." Then he pushed off the railing, whistling a happy tune as he headed for the Training Center.


	26. The Final Battle

**Chapter Twenty-Six: The Final Battle**

"Ugh…" Squall grunted as he trudged through the door to his quarters. He made his way over to the dark-brown leather couch and half-sat, half-fell into it before leaning back and pinching the bridge of his nose. "What a day…" He'd barely warmed the cushion beneath him before the doorbell chimed. "Argh, I need a 'people break'," he muttered to himself as he got back up and headed to the door and smacked the comm. button. "Who is it, please?"

"_H-Hey, Squall,"_ an anxious voice replied. _"It's me; it's Selphie. May I come in?"_

Squall felt a combination of comfort and anxiety as he pressed the button to reveal his bouncy-haired friend standing on the other side of the door, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she fiddled with the charms on a necklace she wore, and Squall found himself trying to remember if he'd ever noticed her wearing jewelry before. He stepped aside, allowing her entry, and she gave him a grateful smile as she entered his quarters; he noticed that she also started fiddling with her necklace more vigorously. "Go ahead and have a seat," he told her as he pressed the button to close the doors. "Can I get you some water or something?"

"Water would be great, thank you," she replied as she settled onto the couch, still messing with her necklace, and something about the motion caused Squall's eyebrow to jump as he headed into the kitchenette.

He came back out with a glass of water and held it out toward his guest. "Here you go."

"Thank you," she said quietly as she released the necklace with a hand to accept the proffered beverage; her other hand managed to obscure the charms from his sight, though.

Squall took his seat in an adjacent chair and studied her as she took a sip of her drink; she seemed upset and nervous and excited, all at once. _'Anxious' would be a better word_ he realized. "So…what's up?"

Selphie's cheeks flushed as she placed the sweating glass on a coaster on the table before her. "I…talked to Rinoa a little while ago."

"I see," he said, trying to ignore an unsettling feeling in his stomach. "What did you talk about?"

"We, uh…talked about you," she said, unable to meet his gaze.

"I see," he repeated, feeling his cheeks heat up. "Well, why did you talk about…?" He gestured toward her, unable to finish his question. "I'm assuming you came to tell me this for a reason."

Selphie fiddled with the charms briefly before answering. "I…just…wanted to be sure that…she wouldn't hate me for…you know….for liking you."

"I hope everything turned out okay," he offered, grateful that he could ignore his own discomfort by focusing on someone else.

Selphie looked down at the necklace within her hand. "She, um…asked me to give this to you."

"What is it?" he asked, leaning forward as she carefully pulled the chain up over her head and held it out to him. Once it was in his hand, though, his heart fell. "Oh…"

"She told me the story behind those," she said as he stared at the pair of very familiar rings that hung from the silver chain. "How she wanted a copy of your ring so she could feel close to you and got Zell to get it from you so he could make a copy for her."

As Squall stared at the rings in his hand, the memories returned, unbidden…

"_That's my favorite ring. You'd better give it back."_

"_I'm sure it is. It's a cool-looking ring. What's this monster on it anyway?"_

"_It's not a monster. It's a lion. Lions are known for their great strength and pride."_

"_Hmm...great strength...pride... Kinda like you, Squall."_

"_I wish..."_

"_You know, Zell said he'll make me one exactly like it. Who knows, maybe I can become like a lion, too. That'd be crazy, huh!? I mean, everyone might, y'know, get the wrong idea about us."_

"_You sound like you want everyone to get the wrong idea."_

"_No no no no no…"_

A drop of water fell into Squall's open palm, nearly splashing the rings held within.

"Squall?" Selphie asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Squall blinked out of the memories – seemingly from another life – and quickly drew the back of his free hand over his eyes to dry them. "Sorry… Just…remembering."

"I'm sorry," Selphie said softly, "I didn't mean to make you sad. I don't think Rinoa meant to, either."

"I'm fine," Squall replied, more out of habit than anything. "I don't think either of you meant any harm."

"Please don't lie to me, Squall," Selphie said. "I can tell you're hurting."

Squall sighed, chuckling in spite of himself. "You're right. I'm sorry; I guess I'm still not used to people really caring about me."

She reached over to pat him on the knee, and he looked up to her soft smile. "I don't understand that," she admitted with a giggle, "but please believe me when I say that I care about you."

"I think you've proven that sufficiently," he chuckled again, this time with an awkward grin. "Like I said; it's just taking some getting used to."

They sat quietly for several minutes, Selphie nursing her drink while giving her friend occasional glances and Squall alternating his gaze between her and the rings in his hand.

"Did you hear that Zell's going to be meeting with HM about his spaceship idea?" Squall asked, his eyes still on the rings in his hand as he made them move in circles around each other.

"He is?" Selphie chirped, suddenly perking up. "That's awesome!"

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll get HM's approval," he remarked. "I actually think it'd be kinda cool if he could learn from Esthar's engineers; he talked to me about being the ship's chief of security, but I think he'd like being in charge of…" He waved a wand as he tried to find the right term. "…I dunno, chief engineer or something like that."

"He was pretty excited about the movie with the transforming robots," she giggled in agreement. "He might have a knack for that kind of thing; I wouldn't be surprised at all." She blinked a couple of times as her expression became thoughtful. "Well, maybe a little surprised, but it would be a good kind of 'surprised'."

Squall chuckled lightly but said nothing as he refocused on his hand.

"I'm still blown away by the way he proposed to Miss Sally," Selphie said out-of-the-blue.

"Hm?" Squall grunted, having been pulled from a train of thought regarding the rings he had returned to playing with. "Yeah, he's been a showman for as long as I can remember. Now that I think about it, you've known him almost as long."

"I guess he and Seifer are alike that way, huh?" she mused, her eyes losing focus. "Hey, maybe that's why they didn't get along; they're similar in an annoying way."

Squall burst out into rarely-heard laughter, causing her to giggle along with him. "You could be right," he replied as the laughter subsided. "I'd never thought of that, but…yeah."

"Yeah," she murmured, her eyes crinkling with her smile. Her smile faded, however, as she noticed the time. "I'd better get going; I need to make sure my stuff's ready for tomorrow."

"All right." Squall got to his feet and followed her over to the door. He reached out to press the 'open' button but paused at the sight of the rings in his hand. "Hey, uh…Selphie?"

"Yeah?" She turned bright eyes to his face before tracking his gaze to the palm of his hand. "What's up?"

He sighed as he stared at the rings, then sighed again as he took the chain and, finding the clasp, unhooked it and allowed the rings to drop freely into his hand. "Are you sure you want to be with me?"

Her breath caught in her throat as she realized what he was likely implying. "Y-Yeah; I r-really do."

As he looked into his friend's glistening eyes, he allowed himself to remember their first meeting on the second floor of Balamb Garden, their shared experiences during the Field Exam, as well as the Timber missions and all the way up to their battle with Ultimecia. Even though it hadn't been very long, he felt as though they'd somehow created a bond, starting with their shared embrace in Trabia Garden's cemetery. Even though things had gone so quickly, it seemed like they'd been working on their relationship for a long time. _Maybe it's not how long but how intensely we've progressed._ His eyebrow furrowed slightly at the thought.

"S-Squall…?"

He blinked out of his reverie, then sighed before reaching down to take hold of her right hand. "Then…I want you to have this." He raised her hand until her fingers were pointed toward him, and tenderly slid the duplicate ring onto her third finger.

"W-Wait, Squall…" she shuddered, though she didn't try to pull her hand away. "A-Are you s-sure about this?"

He briefly glanced away before returning his gaze to hers. "I…honestly don't know how good I'll be for you, but I think I'm starting to understand how…how we complement each other."

He released her hand, and she drew it to her chest to clasp it with her other one as the tears started to flow. "Thank you, Squall; thank you so much."

"Don't thank me yet," he snorted. "Like I said; I don't know how good I'll be for you. We're pretty different… You know, with you being the social butterfly and me being more of a wallflower or whatever it's called…"

She smiled through her tears as she reached out to rest a hand on his face, and was grateful when he let her. "Squall, we're not going to be able to work out all of the details right now; I don't think that's how relationships work. But I do think that over time we can learn how to be with each other. That's what I want. I think we complement each other. I would rather try it and have it not work out than to not try and spend the rest of my life wondering if it could have worked."

He didn't know how to respond, so he simply rested a hand over hers and listened.

"We already have a… What's it called…? Oh! Right! A shared history. I mean, that's how I know we complement each other, right?"

"Makes sense," he replied, chuckling lightly at her confidence.

"So I want to give us a try, 'k?" she giggled, causing the tears to trickle down her cheeks.

He sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time as he examined her bright smile, tears and all. "'K," he finally replied. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's okay!" she chirped, then hopped onto her tiptoes to give him a peck on the cheek. "See you later?"

Squall reached up to touch the cheek she'd kissed, his expression turning serious.

"Squall?" Selphie asked worriedly. "Was that okay? I mean, it was kinda impulsive, so I'm sorry if-EEP!"

What caused her to cut herself off with a gasp was Squall cupping her face in his hands and leaning down to place a tender kiss on her forehead, and her eyes closed as she felt a warmth start to spread throughout her body, starting where his lips still touched her from her forehead down through her neck, through her torso and arms and, finally, to her knees, which promptly buckled. "Whoa!" Squall exclaimed, abruptly breaking the kiss to catch her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she squeaked, fanning herself. "That…surprised me… But it was awesome."

"Oh. Well…good," Squall replied. He wasn't sure what else to say, so he reached out and pressed the button to open the door to his quarters. "Um…see you later, then?"

"Sure," she said with a light giggle. She started out the door but stopped halfway and looked over her shoulder at him. "Are… Are you free for dinner tonight? At the cafeteria? Or, wherever?"

The way her eyes glistened as she looked up at him from under her eyelashes made the young commander's heart skip a beat. "S-Sure," he managed. "The cafeteria at six would be great, if you're okay with it."

"See you then." With a bright smile and a soft giggle she left his quarters, and as he watched her leave he saw her skip down the hall, eventually disappearing around a corner.

With a heavy sigh, Squall Leonhart closed the door to his quarters, then turned and leaned against it, feeling the weight of his decision. He slid down the door until his butt hit the floor, then started to panic as he realized that he'd lost track of his ring. A quick search of his pockets found it resting snugly in a jacket pocket, and he realized that he must have dropped it in there without thinking just before kissing his dear friend. He held the ring up before his eyes, studying the image of Griever etched into its surface before holding up his right hand to slowly and deliberately slide the ring onto his third finger.


	27. Epilogue 1: A Celebration

**Epilogue 1: A Celebration**

"So, you peeps ready to rock 'n roll?" Zell asked as he approached Squall and Selphie, who had been waiting in the hallway and talking quietly. Due to the relative seriousness of the function, all three of them were in full SeeD uniform.

"I'm ready," Squall replied, shrugging a shoulder several times to work out an imaginary kink before looking over at his companion. "How about you?"

"I've been ready for like, forever!" Selphie squealed as she thrust a fist into the air. "Let's get this show on the road!"

"A'ight, c'mon then," Zell ordered as he turned to head back the way he had come. "Everyone's waiting and stuff."

The young couple exchanged a smile as they followed their tattooed friend down the hallway below Deling City's mayor's complex. "We haven't seen each other in a while, Zell," Selphie remarked. "I mean, I know we've e-mailed each other, but… How've you been? How's Miss Sally? How's m-married life?"

Squall noticed her stutter and raised an eyebrow but said nothing; it had been several months since he and his traveling companion had started the new chapter in their relationship and marriage had been discussed, but Squall wanted to give them a little more time, which Selphie more than understood. It didn't mean that it wasn't hard for her to hear about Quistis' and Zone's surprise wedding, however, and Squall knew it. _I need to get my act together and marry her_ he grumbled internally. _We both want to, after all._

"It's pretty sweet," Zell replied over his shoulder. "We get up at the same time, make breakfast together, and…" there was a longish pause, "…stuff."

The couple following him both shook their heads in disbelief, though Squall rolled his eyes while Selphie giggled. "I'm glad you two are doing well, then," she said.

"What about the spaceship program?" Squall asked. "Last I knew, Dad-er, President Loire had authorized funding for it and you had a team, but that's about it."

"It's under construction as we speak!" Zell exclaimed, turning around to walk backwards as he pumped a fist. "Doc Odine's been working on the…whatchamacallit? Propulsion…? Yeah, that's it! The propulsion system!"

"So there's definitely been progress?" Squall followed up.

"Shee-yeah!" Zell cried, pumping his fist again before turning to walk normally. "In fact, he said some pretty cool things about my Time Magic idea! Can you believe it? I came up with something the 'Great Doctor Odine' hadn't thought of himself!"

"Good for you," Squall replied, chuckling at his friend's excitement. "I'm glad your idea's bearing fruit."

"Me, too," Selphie agreed as she unconsciously took hold of her man's arm.

The trio passed through a doorway into a large, well-lit room, part of which opened to a lower bay. Parked within that bay was a large parade float, mostly white with light-blue streamers and banners.

"Hey, guys!" Rinoa greeted as she waved happily from the middle of the float's platform; in contrast to the dark-blue SeeD uniform, she wore a puffy floor-length dress the same light-blue color as her usual attire. "Are you ready for this?"

"I've been ready for the last week!" Selphie giggled as she hopped the short distance to join her sorceress friend on the float and give her a hug. "Oh my gosh, Rin; you look absolutely gorgeous! Don't you think so, Squall?"

Squall stumbled, having crossed to the float just as Selphie had asked her question. "Um, yeah…" he replied, forcing himself to look at Rinoa while trying to not make it look like he was forcing himself to look at Rinoa; it wasn't that he thought she wasn't pretty, but he still wasn't sure how to talk to or about her given their former relationship. "You look really nice. Where, uh... Where did you want us to be?"

"Wherever you want," Rinoa replied with a smile, gesturing to indicate the massive float. "Knowing the two of you, I thought Selphie might like to be up with me, while you could be toward the back."

"Oh, I'd love to!" Selphie squealed, clapping. "But wouldn't I just be in the way? This is your parade, after all."

Rinoa smiled softly as she laid her hands on her shorter friend's shoulder. "You and Squall and everyone else are a very important part of my life; I would be honored if you'd be up there with me." She shifted her gaze over Selphie's shoulder to her former lover. "I'd love to have you with me too, Squall, but I understand that you don't like a lot of attention."

"I appreciate that," Squall grunted, though he smiled slightly. He looked around briefly before making his way to a back corner of the float; from there he'd have a good view of his charge and his girl while remaining inconspicuous. "I should have a good view from here."

"Squall!" Selphie exclaimed in a scolding tone as she covered her bottom with her hands. "Are you trying to see up my skirt? Again?"

"I thought I told you that I didn't mean to do that!" Squall protested as he shot to his feet; he still felt bad for seeing her unmentionables during their descent down the ladder back at Trabia Garden. He then saw the impish grin on her face and crossed his arms. "Not funny, Tilmitt."

Rinoa giggled behind a hand as Selphie made her way over to her beloved with a sympathetic smile. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Squall; I'm still getting used to that, I guess." She stopped before him and looked up into his furiously blushing face as she laid a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, stud."

Squall huffed a couple of times, then his mouth twitched into something resembling a smile as he gathered her in his arms. "Don't worry about it; I guess I'm just still embarrassed by it."

"Hey, you peeps ready?" Zell called from the entrance to the room. "The natives are getting restless."

"I think we're ready," Rinoa called while grinning at the young couple. "Selphie, are you gonna be up here with me?"

"Are you okay with that, Squall?" Selphie asked, taking a step back to brush some imaginary lint from her man's collar.

He gave her a small smile before jerking his chin toward their friend. "Have fun, you two."

Selphie giggled, hopping up to give him a peck on the cheek before joining Rinoa at the middle of the platform. Unlike Edea's float, the newest sorceress' float had no throne; instead it had a large arch in the middle, decorated with simulated roses and other flowers. Simulated birds had been placed to make it appear as though they were carrying the blue banners, each of which displayed the new sorceress' name. It truly was a work of art.

Lively music started to play and everyone took it as their cue to take their places, Rinoa taking Selphie by the hand to stand beneath the arch and Squall to his corner to lurk. Less than a minute later the doors in from of the float opened and it slowly started to move; unlike Edea's float, Rinoa's float was being pulled by one of Zell's custom-designed cars, piloted by Zell himself.

Squall kept a watchful eye as the float passed through the gates and into Deling City proper; he had once been part of an assassination squad and he was aware of the possibility for someone to want to make a name for himself – or herself – by killing the current sorceress. He knew that Rinoa was no threat to the good people of Deling, but that didn't mean that there might not be those who'd take revenge on the current Sorceress for the actions of the previous Sorceress. In spite of his apprehension he found himself tapping his foot to the bouncy, rhythmic, and happy tune – a definite contrast to the near-dirge that had been played for Edea's/Ultimecia's parade – that emanated from the speakers mounted within the float, and he allowed himself a brief smile as he watched two of his dear friends, his prior and current loves, as they waved happily to the gathered crowd. He put his hand to his ear, where a tiny earbud nestled. "How do things look from your position, Z?"

"_All quiet down here, so to speak,"_ Zell replied, and Squall noticed a slight delay between the sounds of the crowd around him and what he could hear from Zell's end. _"Everything cool up there?"_

"Affirmative," Squall replied. "Keep me advised. Squall out."

"_Yeah, Zell out."_

Squall closed the channel and looked behind him to find several vehicles of varying sizes and shapes trailing the float, as expected; security was going to be as tight as possible. He nodded his approval before returning his gaze to the girls as they interacted with the crowd; Rinoa almost looked like she was juggling, rapidly forming balls of magic in her hands to throw high into the air, where they would explode into a brilliant array of sparks, which floated lazily onto the crowd. Oddly enough, many of them felt energized at the display, and Squall couldn't help but grin at the knowledge that Rinoa was basically casting restorative spells over the crowd, using the 'fireworks' as a cover for her generosity. For her part, Selphie was clapping gleefully, hopping from one foot to the other.

Squall straightened in alarm as the Sorceress suddenly moved to the edge of the float and disappeared over its side, and he felt the float come to a halt. "Zell, what the hell just happened?" he hissed into his mike as he tightened his grip on the Lionheart.

"_It's cool, dude; somebody brought their kid in a wheelchair, and Rin's just giving him a super-duper heal…yeah, he's on his feet again."_ Squall heard him report just as a large cheer rose from the crowd. _"Shit, I think I'm gonna cry."_

"Just…hang in there," Squall grumbled, annoyed at the false alarm as he watched Rinoa glide back over the edge of the float to land next to a wide-eyed Selphie. He then settled back for the rest of the ride; the parade route would be different than Edea's, with the float making two loops, once through each side of the city and under the Great Arch before heading back into the bay under the mayor's office complex. While it wouldn't be a long parade time-wise, Squall knew that it would feel like he would be on duty forever, worrying about his sorceress and his beloved.

Fortunately, the first loop was uneventful, and Squall felt himself start to relax as the float made the last turn to pass under the city's arch and continue into the bay. "Thank goodness for boring jobs, I guess," he grunted to himself as the parade crawled through the last leg of the celebration, Rinoa tossing magic everywhere, her radiant smile never leaving her face, and Squall couldn't help but wonder what things could have been like if...

A shot rang out, causing the assembled crowd to panic as the music stopped; fortunately, Rinoa was able to throw up a shield just in time to absorb the round, protecting her and Selphie as well as preventing the round from ricocheting into the panicked crowd.

Squall bolted from his position, putting himself between his friends and the likely source of the attack, Lionheart in hand, and he nearly slapped himself in the head as he hurriedly opened the channel. "Report!" he shouted, holding the Lionheart horizontally in front of him to hopefully block any subsequent attacks.

"_Shots fired from unknown position, Boss,"_ Irvine's distinct drawl sounded through the channel. _"Orders?"_

The young commander glanced back at the girls, who were holding each other, and he could see the slight glow of a Protect spell encasing them. He sighed as he considered utilizing Zell's trump card…or cards. "Zell, order you team into action. Have them locate the shooter and protect the crowd, then take Irvine to subdue the shooter."

"_Got it."_ Still inside the vehicle, Zell closed the channel and then looked to the dashboard. "Spyglass, where'd that shot come from?"

"_Stand by…"_ a voice replied from the car. _"Target cannot be precisely located, but I have narrowed it down to one of the top two stories of windows from the Great Arch."_

"That brings back some heinous memories," Zell grunted, then touched his earpiece again. "Overwatch, you and your boys protect the crowd. I'm gonna take Irvine and nab the bastard."

Back on the float, Squall flinched as the vehicle behind him suddenly bellowed, "Guardians: Transform and protect the humans!" Then, in spite of the seriousness of the situation and the accompanying anxiety he smiled at the sight of a young boy jumping back in surprise as the vehicles behind the float suddenly started to shift, rising onto newly-formed legs as they stretched out newly-formed arms. "Zell…" Squall murmured to himself as he saw Spyglass rise to a standing position in front of the float, "…you and Sally really outdid yourselves."

Indeed they had; after the Restoration Festival (and somehow unbeknownst to Squall) Zell and Sally had started on what would eventually become known as the Guardian Project, based on the characters from the 'giant robots' movie. With the covert assistance of two teams of skilled SeeDs, Zell had worked on the physical intricacies of the robots' dual forms while Sally had worked on the artificial intelligences of their new creations. Their 'offspring' ended up light-years beyond Esthar's already-impressive artificial creations, with Zell's efforts resulting in smooth conversion processes and overall movements, and Sally's efforts resulting in artificial intelligences that could truly think and learn. Once Squall had overcome his initial anger over the deception, the Guardians were added to Garden's staff as full-fledged soldiers.

Overwatch barked several orders to his subordinates before seeing Squall on the float before him. "Guardians moving to positions, sir!" he barked in a deep and rich though metallic-sounding voice as he saluted the Unified Garden commander.

"Carry on, Chief," Squall replied as he returned the salute.

"Sir!" Overwatch dropped his arm before turning to join his troops, who took up positions around the now-awestruck crowd. "Do not fear, citizens of Deling!" he announced. "You are under the protection of the Guardians!"

Satisfied that the artificial life forms had the situation in hand, Squall turned his attention to the pair still holding each other under the float's arch, though he kept his gunblade raised in a defensive posture. "Are you two okay?" he asked.

"That was so cool!" Selphie exclaimed as she thrust a fist into the air. "And he even got that 'wock wock' sound that he wanted!"

"That was pretty neat," Squall agreed with a smile as he shifted his gaze between the girls and the arch in the distance. Then he fixed his gaze on their sorceress friend. "Rinoa, you okay?"

The young woman nodded, though she still looked shaky. "I'm okay, I think; I guess I'll never get used to violence."

"Let's hope that none of us ever do," Squall replied before fully focusing on the arch, where Zell and Irvine were currently headed. "Damn, there're only two of them…"

"I could go with them," Selphie offered, stepping out of the protection of Rinoa's shield.

Before she could hop down, however, they saw a figure in a familiar gray coat running after the two SeeDs and Squall's gunblade lowered as he stared at the newcomer in disbelief. "Seifer…?"

"_Can't let you guys hog all the fun,"_ a voice as familiar as the coat replied through his earpiece. _"Don't worry about Chicken-wuss and Cowboy; I got their backs. You just protect your women."_

"M-My what?" Squall stammered, hoping that Selphie didn't have her earpiece turned on; from the look on her face, though, she'd heard every word.

His only response from Seifer was laughter before the channel closed.

It didn't take long for the trio to find the culprits, and Seifer seemed to take more than a little pleasure in shoving them into the back of Lockup, who had resumed his police van mode. "Congratulations," he sneered as Irvine shut the door to the vehicle, which locked on its own. "You four just won a one-way ticket to Garden Detention. Hope it was worth it." He then smacked the back of the truck and it drove off on its own, its guests crying out in terror at the lack of a driver until they were out of earshot. He then smirked at Zell and Irvine before turning his attention to Squall who, along with Selphie and Rinoa, joined them in front of the float. "You kids okay?"

"Everything's fine, thanks," Squall replied, ignoring the obvious jab. "And thanks for you help."

"Cid sent me, just in case things went south," Seifer informed the group, prompting raised eyebrows from nearly all of them as the crowd watched. "But I guess you had things under control, so I just decided to jump in 'cause I was bored."

"Well, thank you for your help, Seifer," Rinoa said, moving from behind Squall with her hands folded. "Are you hurt? I can heal you if needed."

Seifer took a barely-noticeable half-step back at the sight of his old girlfriend. "Naw, I'm fi-…" He trailed off as his eyes briefly lost their focus. "You know what? Fuck it," he snorted as he strode up to her. "One of those bastards got my arm. It doesn't look too bad, but…" He held out his gunblade arm, where a short tear could be seen, stained with blood.

Rinoa smiled at the unusual display of humility. "I'll have you fixed up in a moment," she said, then focused on his arm. When she finished several seconds later, she had not only healed his arm but had also repaired his coat.

"That's pretty cool…" Seifer mused, examining his restored garment. "She never did anything like that."

Squall and Selphie exchanged glances with Rinoa, and the three of them figured that he was referring to Ultimecia. "I'm glad I could help," Rinoa offered.

"Well, shall we get this party goin' again?" Zell asked, getting fired up.

"Are we ready for a parade?" Selphie asked the crowd, who started to cheer. "Let's do it!"

Rinoa levitated Squall and Selphie back onto the float, then turned to her old beau. "Would you join us, Seifer?" she offered with her hand extended.

The young man sighed heavily as he studied the proffered hand. Finally, he smiled a real smile as he reached out and took held of it. "Thanks."

She smiled and levitated the two of them up onto the float and he joined her, along with his fellow orphans, in the joyous celebration.


	28. Epilogue 2: The Final Frontier

**Epilogue 2: The Final Frontier**

It had been bothering him for over an hour and no matter how he tried to adjust it, clean it, or nearly yank it off in frustration, Squall couldn't get rid of an annoyance in the collar of his SeeD uniform.

"Goodness, what's the matter?" Selphie asked with amused eyes as she watched his antics.

"Something's been jabbing me in the neck for the last hour," he huffed as he rubbed his index finger along the inside circumference of his collar for the umpteenth time.

"Here, let me take a look," she offered, looping her finger into his jacket to tug him down.

He sighed, and as he bent down to allow his fiancée to hopefully find the problem he looked around the bridge of the _E.S.S Lionheart_, where they had been waiting for the starship's captain to arrive. "When the hell is he going to get here?"

"Last I heard, he was supposed to be getting one last briefing from HM," Selphie remarked absently as she checked the part of his collar that would otherwise touch the newly-reddened section of skin. "Ah! There you are!" she exclaimed as she withdrew her hand.

"What is it?" he asked as he straightened his posture, followed by his uniform.

She held out a tiny stick of clear plastic barely perceptible to the naked eye. "No wonder you had a hard time finding it; it's one of those plastic thingies that hold tags on a new garment."

"So that's where it went," the young commodore grunted as he rubbed the tender spot on his neck.

"Hold on a sec." Selphie reached into one of her uniform jacket pockets and produced a small tube. "This'll help it go away quickly. You don't want the new captain to see you with that mark; he'll think I gave you a hickey or something."

Squall quickly withdrew his hand from his neck and leaned over again, this time so his beloved could apply the clear cream that she was in the process of squeezing into her hand. "Thanks; I have no idea how much I owe you for this."

"You're already gonna be giving me a married life," she replied with a twinkle in her eye as she gently applied the cream to his neck. "There you go. Good, it's clearing up already."

"And just in time," Squall remarked as a set of doors that led to an elevator opened, revealing the new captain of Esthar's first starship. "Captain on the bridge!"

With the exception of Squall and Selphie, everyone on the bridge snapped to attention as the newcomer strode confidently onto the bridge. Like the rest of the bridge crew, his uniform consisted of a top color-coded to his department, gray in this case, along with black slacks. A pin in the shape of the symbol for Esthar rested against his chest, on the left side. Unlike the rest of the crew, however, the captain wore a gray jacket over his uniform. "Captain Seifer Almasy, reporting for duty," he announced, coming to a stop before his superior.

"Seifer, you're supposed to salute him," Selphie whispered while glancing at the rest of the bridge crew; even though the former Sorceress' Knight had come a long way, he still had some issues with authority.

Captain Almasy sighed before snapping his right hand up to his right eyebrow, which Squall promptly returned. "Can we get this show on the road…sir?"

"HM keep you for a while?" Squall asked, dropping the salute while giving his former rival an understanding look.

Seifer allowed a brief chuckle as he dropped his arm as well. "Yeah. I know he, uh, cares about me, but listening to him go on and on can still be a pain in the ass sometimes."

"Well, you won't have to worry about that for a while," Squall replied with a chuckle of his own; then his expression grew serious and he extended his hand. "Good luck out there, Captain."

"'Good luck'…" Seifer scoffed while giving his bridge crew a sideways glance. "Save it for someone who needs it, Commodore."

"All right, then…." Squall replied; then his face took on an uncharacteristically impish grin. "Good luck out there, Captain."

The new starship captain's expression turned to one of shock before managing to give his typical grin as he took the other man's hand. "Fuck you, sir; fuck you very much."

The group in attendance gasped, but Squall maintained his expression; Seifer's behavior was not unexpected, after all. "Seriously, Seifer; for what it's worth, I think you'll do great things out there."

The grin faltered before resolving to a more sincere smile. "Yeah. Thanks, sir."

Squall glanced over toward the doors to the elevator. "We'll get off your ship after you run your pre-launch check. Otherwise…" Squall gestured toward the captain's seat as though presenting it before he and Selphie made their way to wait in front of the elevator doors.

Seifer watched the pair briefly before turning to his crew. "As you were," he announced as he took his seat, and they quickly manned their stations. "Bridge stations: report in."

As the various stations reported 'go' Squall couldn't help but feel a sense of loss, as all of them were SeeDs that he had watched rise through the ranks, but a few in particular stood out:

"We are 'go' on navigation," Nida reported as he tapped several buttons on the console behind which he sat.

"Science is 'go'," Sally Dincht announced from her station over the captain's right shoulder.

"Security teams standing by," Tisky reported.

Seifer grunted his approval, then briefly scanned the touchpad on his armrest before finding the button he was looking for. "All hands, this is Captain Almasy," he announced, and Squall couldn't help but be impressed by his old rival's professional demeanor. "All sections: report in."

"_Infirmary here,"_ a response came, and Squall felt a slight lump in his throat at the sound of Rinoa's voice. _"We're ready to go."_

"_Engineering here, caps,"_ a very familiar voice reported in. _"Main engines are 'go'. Compression engines are 'go'. We can launch whenever you're ready."_

Squall smiled at the seriousness of the typically-exuberant martial artist; he'd come a long way from his time as a new SeeD, having interned with Esthar's scientists as they worked on the new magical propulsion technology. To Zell's surprise – as well as everyone else's – he picked up on the technology very quickly, to the point where he was nearly leading the development team toward the end. When the time came, Zell had eagerly accepted the position of Chief Engineer rather than Head of Security.

The rest of the sections reported in, and Seifer looked over his shoulder at his old rival. "We're good to go, sir; now kindly get off my ship."

"Gladly," Squall retorted with a grin as Selphie pressed the button for the elevator. "See you in six months."

"Squall."

The pair stopped halfway onto the elevator and turned to find Seifer standing next to his command chair. "What is it, captain?" Squall asked.

Seifer set his jaw before straightening completely to properly salute his former rival. "Thanks. For everything."

Squall studied him for a moment as he thought back to Seifer's journey from the hell of being Ultimecia's knight; from his months of counseling to deal with the trauma due to the crimes he had committed on her behalf and while under her control, to months of retraining and reintegration into society – in short, to learn how to be human again – to being chosen by Headmaster Cid and Commodore Squall to captain the _Lionheart_… Seifer had come a long way and dealt with a lot of emotions, and Squall felt something akin to pride in the other man as he returned the salute. "That was all you, captain; I'm just glad I could help." He then dropped the salute and turned to finish entering the elevator, followed closely by Selphie.

As the doors closed, Seifer dropped his salute and stared at the doors as a flood of memories washed over him; all the trouble he'd caused, people he'd hurt…

"Captain…?"

Seifer blinked out of his reverie at Sally's expression of concern. "Mr. Nida: Prepare to take us out."

"Yes, sir."

"Miss Krayton: Please inform me when Commodore Leonhart and Chief Tilmitt have debarked."

"Aye, sir." A minute later, she pressed her finger to her ear, then looked to her commanding officer. "Docking reports that the commodore and the intelligence chief have debarked."

Seifer tapped the comm. button on his armrest. "Mr. Chick-er, Mr. Dincht; is your Compression Drive ready for a test run?"

"_Totally, but I think we should put some distance between us and everyone else for our first run. Ya wanna see how fast this baby can fly?"_

"That was my thought, yes," Seifer replied evenly. "Let me know when we're safe to jump."

"_You got it, dude-I mean, sir."_

Captain Almasy snorted as he turned his gaze on the view screen at the front of the room. "At your discretion, Mr. Nida."

"Yes, sir; engaging standard propulsion."

As he felt the ship start to move under him, Seifer lifted a hand to scratch an itch that had suddenly manifested on his cheek. As he did, the sleeve of his trademark gray coat caught his eye. He studied it briefly; then, as everyone else busied themselves with their duties, he stood up long enough to remove his coat and fold it neatly, setting it on a nearby chair as he reclaimed his seat.

* * *

From a special raised platform just outside Balamb Garden, Squall studied the giant starship. Unlike the Ragnarok, the silver-colored _Lionheart_ was divided into two main sections: the front section was shaped like two plates set horizontally with their tops stuck together; it reminded Squall of the UFO that he had encountered during his journey, though this 'flying saucer' in front of him was much larger, as it contained the crew quarters plus amenities. The section directly behind it was cylindrical and contained the Engineering section of the ship, as well as storage for all the previously-drawn spells that would be needed for the trek. Extending at an upward angle from the sides of the Engineering section were two fin-like mounts that looked much like wings, attached to which were two more cylindrical structures, much smaller in diameter than their host; these would be used to channel the magic energy needed for Compression travel. Mounted at various points on the hull were specialized portals, where spells could be cast in defense of the vessel if necessary. It was an oddly beautiful ship.

Squall blinked out of his studies, and he and Selphie watched as the huge starship slowly lifted off from the 'dry-dock' where it had been built; around them crowded nearly the entire staff, faculty, and student population. Everyone cheered as the _Lionheart_ cleared the top of the dock and continued to ascend. Even though many of those present had been on the Ragnarok more than once, to see a vessel built for space exploration was exciting.

"Good-bye!" Selphie cried, jumping repeatedly as she waved at the departing ship, tears freely flowing. "Good-byyyyyeeeeee!" She then grabbed onto her fiancé, partly for comfort and partly due to nearly losing her balance. "God, I'm gonna miss them…"

For his part, Squall couldn't reply, as he was busy trying to swallow the lump in his throat; even though he knew he could contact the ship and talk with the crew, not having his friends with him was going to be…difficult.


	29. Epilogue: Final: The Simple Life…Sort Of

**Epilogue – Final: The Simple Life…Sort Of**

The warm sun shone brightly overhead as the young couple walked hand-in-hand down the dirt road, their footsteps kicking up dust as they made their way toward the main part of a village surrounded by brightly-colored flowers.

"Wow…I'd forgotten how quiet and peaceful it is here," Selphie murmured in awe as she took in their surroundings.

"You've been here before?" Squall asked, surprised by her statement.

"Well, sort of…" she replied, puzzled by his question before she realized why he had asked. "Oh, that's right; I was 'connected' to Mr. Kiros when he found Sir Laguna and went on patrol with him."

"Of course…" Squall replied, his own somewhat-embarrassing memories returning. "So, do you like the peace and quiet? I remember how excited you were about Esthar; didn't you say you wanted to live there?"

"Yeah, I did…" she admitted, looking down at the road as she swung their arms. "But, you know…" She sighed contentedly. "…I think that after getting closer to you, I kinda like the idea of quiet; it's fun being around a lot of people and having noisy fun with them, but…" She started to nibble on her lower lip as her face took on a thoughtful expression.

Squall glanced over at his love, then smiled to himself as he returned his gaze to the village off in the distance. "If it helps, I like the quiet because it gives me a chance to think; to, uh… to be alone with my thoughts and refine them. If I have other people talking around me, it's like their thoughts get mixed up with mine."

Selphie came to an abrupt stop and pointed at him with her free hand. "That's it! Well, something like that."

"Is that why you're okay with living in Winhill?" he asked as they started to walk again.

"Well, partly," she admitted as they came to the chocobo crossing, where a pair of adults plus their offspring were busy trotting across the road; surprisingly, the oversized birds seemed unfazed by the presence of the humans. "Honestly, I've been thinking about your mom's bar ever since that 'dream' and thought it would be sad if the place was neglected; or worse, changed so much that we wouldn't recognize it."

"I see…" he replied, warmed by the sentiment as the last chick passed and they were able to continue on their way. "Did you want to reopen the bar or something?"

"Something like that," she replied, then giggled. "Honestly, I've been thinking of making it into a juice bar."

"A juice bar?" Squall repeated, turning surprised eyes on his girl.

Her stride faltered. "W-Would that be okay?"

His pace slowed, and he blinked several times as he processed her idea. "I'd…never thought about it, to be honest. I don't see a problem with it…other than where we'd get the fruit for all the amazing drink ideas you'd come up with."

"Squall…" she giggled as she playfully whapped his arm. Then a flock of birds flying overhead drew her gaze to the clear, blue sky. "Do you know when Zell and Sally and the others are supposed to be back?"

"Their last transmission indicated that they should be back in the next day or so," he replied easily. "Looking forward to seeing them again, I take it?"

"Of course!" she chirped. "I've missed than soooo much, and I'll bet they'll have sooooo many cool stories to tell us when they get back!"

"I'm sure you're right," Squall chuckled with a gentle smile; truth was, he'd missed them during the prior six months as well, but his responsibilities as Garden commander and commodore of the blossoming space fleet kept him busy enough to keep the feelings of loss at bay.

Selphie beamed at him with a giggle as they entered Winhill's town square and headed over to the old bar where many memories had been made…and later relived. "Wow, it looks almost the same as I remember it…in Mr. Kiros' memories, I mean."

"It does look the same," Squall agreed as he took in the large structure. Then, he released her hand to reach into his pocket and pull out a key. As he worked on unlocking the front door he asked, "Have you decided when you're going to contact your family?"

"I..." Selphie nibbled on her lower lip as she tried to keep the tears from forming; after Squall had finally come to terms with his own family due to the 'gift' from Ellone and Laguna he had asked his 'Sis' if she would be willing to do the same for the other orphans. After all, Squall had thought himself an orphan for a long time, but it turned out he still had a living parent, so perhaps one or more of the others weren't as 'orphaned' as they had believed. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case with Selphie; when Ellone had sent her back into her own past, she ended up seeing her parents perish in a collapsing building – the result of one of Adel's mad attempts to find a 'vessel' for her power and control. However, she was able to discover the identities of several extended family members who had relocated to Balamb, interestingly. "I'm not sure I'm ready. I mean, they're not going to know who I am, are they?"

"How would I know?" Squall replied as the door clicked. "There we go." He turned to face her fully. "But how will you know until you take the chance and try to visit them? You know I'll be right there with you, right?"

"I…I know," she acknowledged, giggling as a tear spilled over onto her cheek. "Good grief, look at me; nervous about meeting people."

"First time for everything," Squall quipped with a gentle smile along with an understanding wink. "Don't beat yourself up over it, okay? After all, Sis hasn't done this for the others yet; I'm sure you'll have time."

"True," she replied as she blotted her eyes with the back of her hand. "Man, I bet Zell will flip out at the chance."

Squall reached for the doorknob, then paused. "He might have trouble with it; he has a mom now, right?" He opened the door to let his girl pass first.

"Ooo, that's true…" she mused as she led the way into the old bar; there was still a smell of alcohol, however faint. "If his real mom's still alive… Yeah, that could be a problem. Well, we'll just have to be there for him. For all of them. Even Seifer," she finished with an impish grin over her shoulder.

"Right," Squall replied with a grin of his own, not taking the bait as he followed her in. His mood then turned more somber. "Listen, Selphie…?"

Something in the tone of his voice caused her to face him with a look of concern. "Is something wrong?"

He rubbed at the back of his neck as he tried to figure out how to give voice to his thoughts. "Listen… Are you really okay with all this? With me?"

Her expression shifted to one of fondness as she stepped forward to take his hands in hers; he'd expressed his self-doubt several times over the last year, and she had become somewhat accustomed to it. She actually found his insecurity charming…in its own way. "Hey, I'm the one who chased you down, right?"

"Well, yeah."

"And I'm the one who put myself out there, telling you how I wanted – well, want – to be there for you and all that, right? And we have a wedding date set, right?"

"That's…true," he grunted, starting to regret the stupidity of his question. "Sorry, I guess that after….you know." He suddenly couldn't look her in the eye, though he kept hold of her hands, and it didn't take a genius to recognize that he was referring to his prior relationship with Rinoa.

"I know." She angled her head and looked up onto his distressed face before releasing his hands to wrap him in an embrace. "It's okay, Squall," she murmured with her cheek pressed against his chest. "For what it's worth, I feel like I'm right where I belong." She then felt a shudder from him before he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away to look her in the eyes again. He started to lower his head toward hers, and she closed her eyes in anticipation of-

_ch-chirp_

Squall grunted in annoyance at the timing of the communication. "I swear; sometimes it's like I'm in a bad rom-com," he grumbled as he unzipped his coat to access the handheld communicator tucked in his jacket's inside pocket; it was more powerful and had a greater range than the badges used while on Garden grounds. He tapped the button to connect more firmly than necessary. "Squall here."

"_Communication from the Lionheart, sir,"_ the familiar voice of Communications Officer Dawn Barton reported; another reminder to Squall that he had taken way too long in proposing to Selphie. That, and a prior transmission had included a request from Seifer for 'permission' to become Rinoa's Knight; it wasn't hard to see the subtext that the two had likely become involved again.

Squall glanced at his companion. "Put it through, please."

"_It's just two words, sir; 'Look up'."_

The pair reflexively looked up in time to hear a 'pop' as the _E.S.S. Lionheart_ appeared high in the sky, seemingly out of nowhere, and angled to head toward the village. "I see them," Squall said, lifting his communicator closer to his mouth. "I'll take it from here."

"_Very good, sir. Barton out."_

Squall absently tapped the button to close the communication only for the device to chirp again almost immediately, and he glanced at it to find 'video request' on its screen, so he tapped the comm. button again. "Squall here."

Captain Seifer Almasy's face appeared on the small screen, and Squall was amazed at how…different he looked; he didn't look old by any stretch of the imagination, but he did look…seasoned. There was no trace of smugness or arrogance in his expression as he spoke. _"This is Captain Seifer Almasy of the E.S.S. Lionheart, requesting permission to land."_

Squall was surprised by his former rival's adherence to protocol, even though the two of them knew each other too well. "Permission granted, captain; welcome home."

"_Thank you, sir."_

Squall blinked, surprised yet again. "Contact Chief Quistis McCormick at Balamb Garden for landing procedures."

"_Understood."_ Seifer then paused just noticeably. _"Sir, two of my crew are…" _He pushed his mouth to the side, apparently in thought. _"My chief engineer and science officer would like to transport down to see you; their request."_

Squall glanced over at Selphie, who was positively glowing. "As long as you're okay with it, captain, then I'm fine with it." He figured it wouldn't take long for the ship to touch down, let them off, then head off officially for home.

"_They'll be transporting shortly, then,"_ Seifer concluded. _"Lionheart out."_

Squall waited until the captain's image vanished from the communicator's screen before disconnecting his end. "Well, it'll be good to see them again," he said as he pocketed the device. "Now, where were we…?"

"You were about to kiss me," Selphie replied, a blush threatening to take over her face.

"R-Right…" Squall said, suddenly feeling awkward; then his eyes widened slightly in response to a slight twinge in his right leg. "Aw, don't tell me…"

"Is something wrong?" Selphie asked with a worried look as she stepped up to lay her hands on his cheeks.

"I…I'm fine," he replied, hoping she wouldn't see him furtively patting his leg in an effort to make the rapidly-forming cramp go away.

She smiled up at him as she reached up to loop her fingers behind his neck, drawing his face toward hers to-

"Yo! We're home-whoa…"

Squall and Selphie nearly jumped away from each other, startled by the sudden intrusion, and they turned as one to find the Dinchts just inside the bar, staring at them in wide-eyed surprise. "Welcome home, guys!" Selphie chirped, her face nearly aflame as she rushed toward her friends with arms open wide. "It's been so long!"

"Yes, it has!" Science Officer Sally Dincht squeaked as she found herself suddenly wrapped up in an excited embrace. "Oh, it's so good to see you again, chief-er, Selphie!"

As the women talked excitedly, Zell ambled up to his old adventuring buddy and stuck out a hand. "Long time no see, bud."

"Zell…" Squall greeted with a smile, the warmth spreading from his heart throughout his slender form. "Good to see you, too."

The _Lionheart's_ chief engineer released the commodore's hand to cross his arms. "Bet you're wondering how Salsa and I got down here so quickly."

"The thought had crossed my mind, yes," Squall admitted, starting to feel his prior embarrassment returning at the recent memory of being 'caught'.

"Well…" Zell started, throwing his arm around the other man's shoulders. "While we were out there, Salacious and I started talking on our off-hours about how we could transport people off the ship without needing another vehicle."

"Zell!" Sally's scolding tone intruded. "You promised that I could tell them about it!"

"Whoops!" Zell yelped with his hands raised. "Sorry, babe; totally vaped on that."

"Let's get something to eat, and you can tell us all about it," Selphie said, gesturing to the door. "The hotel across the square has a restaurant."

"Speaking of food," Zell started, making a show of looking around the old bar as he and Sally followed Selphie out the door, "you planning on doing something with these digs?"

"We'll talk at the restaurant," Squall replied as he joined the others on the front deck of the building. He then smiled to himself as he locked the front door, thinking about the way life had made a turn for the better, with Seifer having a new purpose, Irvine with a woman who could actually handle him, Zell and Sally with their new relationship…

He nodded approvingly at the sight of his friends plus fiancée as they headed toward the hotel, chatting happily. _As for me… I feel like I'm right where I belong._

_Rough Draft Complete_


End file.
